Highlights
- 400 Internet Saathis cover 1,200 villages across five districts of Bihar
- Internet Saathis educate the community through tele-counselling
- Internet Saathis get a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1,500
New Delhi: “Initially, people would not pay heed to the information we would provide on maintaining hygiene and safeguarding oneself from the Coronavirus pandemic. They used to say that Coronavirus will not come to our village; the spread of the disease is specific to cities. Later, as the number of COVID-19 cases grew, people started believing us, got serious about fighting the disease and some would even call us and would enquire about COVID precautionary measures”, recalled Pinki Devi, from Nawada block in Kurma village of Bihar. Pinki Devi works as Internet Saathi with UNICEF Bihar and Partnering Hope Into Action (PHIA) Foundation. Ms Devi’s role is to disseminate information regarding the ongoing pandemic and promote COVID appropriate behavior.
Talking to NDTV about the Internet Saathi programme, originally initiated by PHIA Foundation, with support from Google and the Tata Trusts in 2015, Dr Prabhakar Sinha, WASH Specialist, UNICEF, said,
It was started to empower women with digital literacy skills that would enable them to function more effectively as nodal points within their information networks. The initiative established a cadre of digitally savvy women who were able to support their communities with their skills, and came to an end in 2019.
Earlier this year in May, UNICEF along with PHIA Foundation reignited the ‘Internet Saathi’ model in Bihar in an attempt to educate the masses about the COVID-19 pandemic. The team restarted the programme to orient individuals and families through phone calls, video calls and by sending informative messages and videos over WhatsApp on the themes of COVID-19, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and social protection schemes.
Talking about the key role of Internet Saathis in outreach and communication programme, Dr Sinha said,
The programme provides a unique opportunity for decentralised interpersonal communication right at the grassroots. The Internet Saathis maintain close relation with the community, as part of the community, and are able to generate awareness in real time.
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Further explaining the working of Internet Saathis and how they reach out to even those people who don’t have any kind of phone at their home, Dr Sinha said there are three broad categories – households with a smartphone; households having a feature phone; households without a phone. He added,
One smartphone per family is sufficient to connect with the entire family. Information, education and communication (IEC) material that includes videos, and infographics is shared via WhatsApp. Video calls are organised with the family and follow-up phone calls are made to reiterate the messages and discuss and elaborate further in case required. For households with only a feature phone, all the information is relayed to the household orally over phone calls. As part of their training, Internet Saathis are provided with scripts to generate awareness via phone calls when it is not possible to share self-explanatory audio-visual material or infographics and posters.
Also Read: COVID Warriors: Meet Bharti Kumari, A 12-Year-Old Girl Who Makes Masks For Her Community
In June, COVID-19 restrictions had started to ease which made it easier for Internet Saathis to physically meet people who don’t have a phone. They would go door-to-door and communicate often with small groups of neighbours in a village while maintaining appropriate physical distancing and other COVID-19 precautionary measures.
In Bihar, there are currently 400 Internet Saathis covering a total of 1,200 villages across five districts in the state – Gaya, Banka, Nawada, Sheikhpura and Muzaffarpur. According to UNICEF Bihar’s estimates, the initiative has already reached 1.2 lakh people directly and 4.8 lakh people indirectly.
Sharing the outcomes of the initiative, Dr Sinha said,
People expressed their curiosity towards proper sanitation of toilets in case someone gets infected with COVID-19 in a family as most of them have only one toilet in their household premises. The Internet Saathis, thus, have added the disinfection of toilets in such cases to their awareness generation plan. Communities admit to a reduced threat from the coronavirus with increased knowledge on infection prevention and hygiene measures. Handwashing with soap is seen as an integral preventive hygiene practice. Posters and videos on the correct method of handwashing with soap have been widely appreciated by the people as well as the Saathis.
Dr Sinha also informed that during tele-counselling, the focus is not only on COVID-19 but also on WASH practices, waste segregation, educating people about entitlement and social protection schemes which include food and livelihood. As part of the later initiative, Internet Saathi Shanti Devi from Gaya district even got ration cards made for 25 families.
A grievances redressal system was also set-up to support people. Internet Saathis also assist in other COVID-19 response activities such as mask distribution and hygiene promotion activities. Amidst this, Internet Saathis also promoted the concept of waste segregation. During tele-counselling, Chinta Kumari from Gaya district learned that people in her village were not segregating their household waste. Despite explaining the process of segregation and the benefits of it, villagers didn’t follow her advice actively so she resorted to practising and demonstrating. Ms Kumari started composting wet waste which in turn motivated her neighbours to follow the suit and keep the village clean.
The initiative also became a catalyst for Internet Saathis who got a source of income as they were paid a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1,500. Talking about her work, Pinki Devi said,
Where everyone was losing on their job and was facing financial issues, we got a job sitting at home. Through this job, we ourselves learned multiple new things. I feel if people are constantly told about a thing and educated, they tend to listen to you and follow the advice. The fear of contracting Novel Coronavirus led to behavioural change and now people practise handwashing regularly, avoid going to crowd places, wear masks, and even maintain cleanliness at home.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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India
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 33,43,951 55,411 | 5,38,160 2,097 | 27,48,153 53,005 | 57,638 309 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 11,60,204 6,194 | 40,095 3,593 | 11,15,342 2,584 | 4,767 17 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 10,55,040 6,955 | 61,672 3,569 | 9,80,519 3,350 | 12,849 36 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 9,26,816 5,989 | 37,673 4,014 | 8,76,257 1,952 | 12,886 23 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 9,21,906 3,309 | 18,666 2,244 | 8,95,949 1,053 | 7,291 12 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 7,14,423 7,897 | 28,773 2,142 | 6,74,415 5,716 | 11,235 39 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,76,739 12,748 | 58,801 10,495 | 6,08,853 2,207 | 9,085 46 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 6,10,498 4,043 | 21,366 2,763 | 5,78,742 1,268 | 10,390 12 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 4,32,776 14,098 | 85,860 8,992 | 3,42,139 4,983 | 4,777 123 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,58,688 4,401 | 27,906 3,821 | 3,27,866 562 | 2,916 18 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,48,182 1,374 | 6,653 969 | 3,39,603 403 | 1,926 2 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 3,42,026 5,011 | 25,129 2,437 | 3,12,151 2,525 | 4,746 49 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 3,32,206 4,986 | 32,707 2,221 | 2,95,339 2,741 | 4,160 24 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 3,27,278 3,187 | 20,184 2,393 | 3,05,335 787 | 1,759 7 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 3,13,441 2,937 | 19,453 1,311 | 2,90,736 1,615 | 3,252 11 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,79,473 3,469 | 11,999 2,641 | 2,65,870 822 | 1,604 6 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 2,69,733 3,239 | 28,015 796 | 2,34,270 2,385 | 7,448 58 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,19,958 405 | 2,934 324 | 2,15,907 79 | 1,117 2 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,37,475 1,005 | 6,755 640 | 1,28,691 359 | 2,029 6 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,37,088 2,373 | 12,293 1,689 | 1,23,603 667 | 1,192 17 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 1,07,479 1,233 | 6,241 857 | 99,486 373 | 1,752 3 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 69,114 941 | 5,223 564 | 62,776 365 | 1,115 12 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 61,779 540 | 3,969 372 | 56,964 167 | 846 1 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 43,737 272 | 2,218 134 | 40,830 136 | 689 2 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,733 48 | 236 48 | 33,104 | 393 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 30,341 398 | 3,265 52 | 26,680 343 | 396 3 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,486 11 | 101 10 | 29,010 1 | 375 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,878 3 | 32 2 | 16,790 1 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 14,246 39 | 202 35 | 13,893 4 | 151 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,400 12 | 156 10 | 12,152 2 | 92 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 10,765 146 | 611 54 | 10,023 91 | 131 1 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,351 22 | 116 15 | 6,099 7 | 136 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,175 14 | 75 4 | 5,038 10 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,612 29 | 143 28 | 4,458 1 | 11 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 4,014 130 | 345 115 | 3,667 15 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 794 10 | 60 5 | 733 5 | 1 |