Under the dark shadows of COVID-19, the 74th Independence Day was celebrated at the Police Parade Grounds here on Saturday. Light showers and a cold breeze created a pleasant atmosphere for the formal and low-key affair where the attendance of members of the public was prohibited.
After unfurling the national flag, Textile and Minority Welfare Minister Shrimant Balasaheb Patil commended the district administration for its relentless efforts for the containment of COVID-19 in the district.
“The COVID-19 containment measures taken by the district administration in Kalaburagi, which reported India’s first COVID-19 fatality, are commendable. As on August 14, the district had tested 1,00,411 people, to become one of the leading districts that have subjected a lot of people to the test. Of the 8,351 people who had tested positive for COVID-19, 6,150 (74%) have recovered. The greater recovery rate is testimony to the stringent and effective measures taken by the district administration,” Mr. Patil said in his address.
On the future plans for COVID-19 containment, Mr. Patil said that additional RT-PCR testing facilities for diagnosing the disease would be commissioned shortly at ESIC Medical Complex, Central University of Karnataka, Basaveshwar Hospital, and Khaja Banda Nawaz Hospital.
“If everything goes well and all these RT-PCR testing facilities start functioning, Kalaburagi will be the second district after Bengaluru Urban to have more number of COVID-19 testing centres. It will help us provide test reports within 24 hours,” he said.
As many as 74 frontline health workers and police personnel who were engaged in the containment of COVID-19, five students who performed well in the SSLC exam, three who secured good marks in the PUC board exam, and three athletes who participated in the State and national level were felicitated on the occasion.
Contingents of the District Armed Reserve, civil police, Karnataka State Reserve Police, Central Prison, National Cadet Corps, and Police Band participated in the I-Day parade conducted on the soggy ground under the leadership of Parade Commander RPI Sharanabasappa. Kalaburagi Lok Sabha member Umesh Jadhav, Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board chairman Dattatreya Patil Revoor and others were present at the programme.
