Chandigarh: In a pioneering move to leverage modern aerial technology in the fight against vector-borne diseases, Mann led Punjab Government has roped in advanced drones to trace and destroy mosquito larvae in hard-to-reach areas. In this regard, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Kiran Corporation/SPV, Mumbai, to initiate a 60-day emergency drone-operated larvicide spray operation in identified dengue hotspots of Patiala district.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh by Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur on behalf of the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Punjab, and Sachin Shetty on behalf of Kiran Corporation, Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Balbir Singh said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government is leaving no stone unturned to combat vector-borne diseases and is adopting tech-driven interventions to stay ahead of outbreaks. “Instead of merely reacting to dengue cases, our prime focus is on actively hunting down and destroying dengue larvae. Many large stagnant water bodies, rooftop accumulation points, abandoned plots, and congested localities remain inaccessible for conventional manual spraying.
The Health Department will facilitate hotspot identification, requisite clearances, local coordination, and technical supervision. Dr Balbir Singh underlined that the entire 60-day initiative is being executed on a non-financial basis, involving no financial transactions from the state exchequer. A comprehensive joint review will be undertaken within 10 days of the project’s completion to evaluate the dip in larval density and plan further phase-wise scale-up across other districts.
