Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot gives a boost to battle against COVID-19 on Gandhi Jayanti

In 1930, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi began a non-violent civil disobedience movement against British Raj, little did he know that he would be welcomed by citizens with open arms. The movement began with just 70-80 of his trusted volunteers, but millions of Indians joined hands together to fight a suppressive regime. Eventually, things turned better for a New India and the developments came in such a form that till now, it has been known as one of the biggest movements in world history.

Today, an active follower of Gandhiji’s principles, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, is faced with an almost similar situation and the challenge is not British oppression, but containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Minister Gehlot has taken opposition and the public together along to begin a mass movement against the virus that has shaken the world. The only difference is that this mass movement requires people not to join on foot, but share the same morals and mindset as practiced by the visionary leader.

The New Age Gandhigiri

In 2020, walking on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot has been on the forefront of fighting against all odds.

From the time Gehlot took charge of Rajasthan in late 2018, his third innings as the Chief Minister, the state has seen a lot of hardships, some unpredicted and some created. On October 2, 2020, the birth anniversary of Gandhiji, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has decided to begin a mass movement, but this time the fight is against an unknown and unseen enemy, the virus. With the same mindset of keeping everyone together, the Chief Minister has urged people and leaders from the opposition parties including former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to support this mass movement.

The Movement

The ministers in charge have been directed by Gehlot to make an impactful session with the public of districts concerned and make them aware about wearing masks, follow social distancing and the importance of avoiding crowded spots. In a recent video conference, the Chief Minister interacted with leaders of opposition parties and sought feedback over the movement before commencing it on ground. The parties extended support to the vision of Gehlot and appreciated his continuous communication with them during these unfortunate times.

Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje spoke about putting awareness videos on social media so that more and more people from the state could connect and join the efforts, which would also avoid the unwanted gatherings. Nearly one crore masks will be distributed during the initiative beginning on Gandhiji’s birth anniversary from Albert Hall of Jaipur. If need be, more masks will be provided to the citizens who will be also asked to strictly use it for at least a month.

What Experts Say

With hundreds of video conferences done till date, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held an open discussion/review meeting with well-known health experts of the country.

Specialists who joined the discussion included Dr. S.K Sareen, Dr. Devi Shetty and Dr. Naresh Trehan. The expert trio stressed on the continuous use of masks and suggested implementing the “No Mask, No Entry” move in Rajasthan to contain the spread. The Chief Minister immediately announced its implementation in the state. Today, the impact of the initiative and its awareness campaigns can be spotted all across the state.

During his last tenure as CM, Gehlot launched a free medicine scheme in Rajasthan, which till date has proved to be a blessing for a lot of families who cannot afford medicines or treatment. Crores of people have benefitted from it and the scheme has garnered applause from international fraternities as well.

In 2019, Ashok Gehlot came up with the “Nirogi Rajasthan” scheme to facilitate every single citizen with a healthy and stress free life. In the time of COVID-19, the CM is adamant to fight this battle from the forefront.