Odisha Govt to construct ‘COVID Warrior Memorial' to honour services of Front Line workers in Pandemic

The Health and Family Welfare Department of Odisha announced on February 8, 2021, that it will construct a COVID-19 Warrior Memorial in the capital city Bhubaneshwar to recognize and honour the sacrifice and services provided by the COVID warriors.

According to the release by the state Health and Family Welfare Department, the government has selected Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneshwar for the construction of the COVID-19 Warrior Memorial.

The Odisha state government plans on inaugurating the memorial on August 15, 2021.

Honouring COVID-19 warriors:

According to the Chief Secretary of Health Department, PK Mohapatra, Coronavirus is once in a century pandemic. In order to keep the health crisis in memory of the people as well as for recognizing the services and sacrifices made by the frontline warriors who lost their lives fighting the pandemic, the Odisha government has decided to construct a COVID-19 warrior memorial.

Reportedly, more than 60 COVID warriors including the health workers in Odisha succumbed to the pandemic.

Design and Structure of the memorial:

As per the statement by the Odisha government, the works department will engage the architect for finalising the structure and design of the memorial and then will take approval from the competent authority.

The cost of constructing the COVID warrior memorial will be met out of the budgetary provisions of the Works Department, said the health department of the state.

Martyr Status for the frontline warriors:

The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik had announced in 2020 that the martyr status will be accorded to all the health personnel and other support services who have succumbed to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Odisha government also had announced Rs. 50 lakh ex-gratia to all the health personnel (public and private) as well as members of all the support services who died of the pandemic.

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