India’s first memorial dedicated to COVID-19 victims installed at Telangana village

Hyderabad: A memorial for COVID-19 victims, described as the first such tribute in the country to those who succumbed to the infectious disease, was inaugurated at a village in Telangana. The memorial was installed at Rajannapet village in Rajanna-Sircilla district on Thursday by Project Madad, a voluntary group of Indian and Indian diaspora doctors and professionals. The memorial is dedicated to all the countrymen who lost their lives due to COVID-19 in 2020-2021. Project Madad believes that "India cannot afford to forget" the near and dear ones lost in this crisis nor let down the caution against COVID-19, the group said in a statement on Friday. The countrymen also need to remember the heroism of all the frontline workers long after the country has been vaccinated and ensure the ongoing welfare of rural healthcare workers, it said. "To highlight that India's villages bore the brunt of this crisis, the memorial was installed in a village of Rajannapet alongside a marker of the village's covid-resilience," it said. A recognition ceremony was held for rural healthcare workers who went beyond the call of duty to ensure 100 per cent vaccination in the village and helped make Rajannapet "the country's first village to achieve COVID-resilience on 31 July this year," the statement said. The meeting was attended by District Medical and Health Officer of Rajanna-Sircilla district Suman Mohan Rao and other officials. Over a 10-week period in June-July 2021, in coordination with the district health team, Project Madad devised a series of public health interventions that were carried out in Rajannapet village by the village panchayat and local healthcare workers. "This led to a social and behavioural transformation in the villagers' approach towards COVID-19. At the end of the period, when first-dose vaccination was carried out, it saw near 100 per cent acceptance. Attitudes towards testing and vaccines underwent a radical change. The village now stands as a model for COVID-resilience," the statement said.