Andhra Pradesh minister donates Rs 200 crore to CM Relief Fund to combat COVID-19

Amidst the rise in the number of Coronavirus cases across the country, Andhra Pradesh Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy on Thursday, April 2, donated Rs 200.11 crores to the state's Chief Minister's Relief Fund to fight the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

"Out of Rs 200 crores, the district mining department contributed Rs 187 crores, APMDC contributed Rs 10.62 crores and mines and geology department employees contributed Rs 56 lakhs," the Chief Minister's Office informed.

On the other hand, the employment guarantee and watershed department employees contributed Rs 1.50 crores and Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) employees donated Rs 50 lakhs. There are a total of 143 cases of Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh as on April 2.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 imposed a 21-days nationwide lockdown to arrest the spread of Coronavirus which has been fast spreading across the country. Despite the lockdown, the number of infected individuals have crossed the 2,000 figure mark. As on April 2, the number of COVID-19 positive cases stands at 2,069, of which 53 have succumbed to the virus while 155 have been recovered and discharged according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. While the figure seems large, it is much less as compared to other developed nations that have become the victims of the fast-spreading virus. Countries such as the US, Italy, Spain, France, Iran have witnessed death toll in thousands while India's death toll stands at 53.

However, the coming weeks are considered to be extremely critical for India in its fight against the pandemic. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, social distancing and maintaining hygiene is the need of the hour to contain the spread of the virus. 

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