Kolkata: In a first of its kind attempt in India, the monitoring cell of West Bengal government is mulling the idea of sending medical supplies through high-tech drones to remote areas in the state.
The state government is planning to rope in aerial robotics experts in order to implement the concept. The scheme will prove to be a boon for people living in remote areas who often find it difficult to access immediate healthcare facilities, if implemented successfully.
Colonel Diptanshu Chaudhary (Retd), who heads the West Bengal monitoring cell said, “Yes, we are mulling the idea of drones. The whole idea is to engage technology to serve people immediately and effectively. The concept of aerial robotics is used by many countries. If things go as per plans, we will try to implement this here also. This will be a great help during natural calamities especially during floods and landslides in the hills and Sundarbans.”
Chaudhary said, “According to the latest Economic Survey (for FY 2018-19), Bengal is ahead of many states in the areas of employment, agriculture, women’s empowerment, school education, rural roads and this drone concept will be an added feather. I am sure with this drone concept, Bengal will show the path to others.”
Besides the concept of drone, the monitoring cell is also working on corruption-free Public Distribution System (PDS), pension at doorstep, pipe water and 24x7 healthcare in these remote villages with a special focus on Jungalmahal, hills and parts of Sundarbans where quick reachability is a problem.
Asked to elaborate more on the functioning of the monitoring cell, Chaudhary said, “The monitoring cell, under our Chief Minister, is acting as a huge catalyst to ensure beneficiaries to get their dues at their doorstep and also to curb the corruption at grassroots level which causes in denying the marginalized their daily bread and social schemes.”
“Recently, we travelled to remote places in Purulia and found that nearly 700 marginalised villagers could not collect their pension cheques due to health issues for several months. We immediately arranged the scheme to reach their doorsteps with the assistance of Rahul Majumdar, DM Purulia,” Chaudhary, who is also a Kargil war veteran added.
