GUWAHATI: A top-notch nature conservation and environmental research organisation Aaranyak, a member of the IUCN, has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to contribute its mite towards the fight against COVID-19 pandemic as well as to provide some sort of economic relief to lockdown-hit villagers from fringes of wildlife protection areas in Assam.
“Our strategy is simple, we want to chip in with face masks to frontline forest protection staff, police personnel, local civil administration to help them fight the pandemic. At the sametime, we want to help lockdown-affected villagers with a little financial support,” informed Aaranyak’s CEO, Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar.
The organisation has engaged village weavers to prepare face masks with cotton fabric as per face masks preparation guidelines issued by Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India. After procuring those masks at a cost, the organisation distributes those free among various beneficiaries.
Aaranyak has also prepared awareness brochures on COVID-19 prevention in Assamese, English and Hindi for distribution through social media as well as printed copies.
The organisation in association with Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of Assam and Assam Science Technology and Environment Council have jointly published awareness materials on this pandemic to make common public aware about preventive steps.
It handed over 250 hand-made masks to the Range officer of Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve in Darrang district of Assam on Thursday.
The masks are meant for use by forest staff and frontline forest personnel working in Mangoldoi Wildlife Division of Assam to prevent spread of the pandemic.
The masks were made in local villages in Darrang district at the instance of Aaranyak on buy-back arrangement.
The NGO has already provided 160 such masks to Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, 200 masks to SDO (Civil) Kaliabot Sub division, 200 masks to Sub Divisional Police Officer of Kaliabor Sub division, 50 masks to local journalists of Kalibor, about 200 masks to SDO (Civil), Bokakhat sub division, about 100 masks to Kohora Police outpost in Kaziranga NP, 20 masks to local journalists of Kaziranga, 200 to SDO (Civil) Salbari sub division under Baksa district, 200 masks to Bansbari wildlife range, 100 masks to Bhuyanpara wildlife forest of Manas National Park and 55 masks to Dergaon Police Station personnel.