GUWAHATI, May 14 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today visited the mask-making facilities of women SHGs under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, Assam, at Tatimara, Chandrapur in the city and took stock of their activities while encouraging them to continue the economic endeavour.
He also appreciated the members of women SHGs for setting a strong example of economic resilience in the times of a global pandemic.
The members of 10,659 women SHGs have produced a total of 51,23,194 face masks till now and out of these, 31,71,314 masks have been sold. With the brand name �Asomi�, 84 stalls have been opened to sell masks in 33 districts of the State and a total of Rs 7.15 crore has been earned through the sale of masks by the women SHGs. More than 4 lakh masks have been distributed free of cost.
Sonowal said that people would need to carry on observing the COVID-19 protocols like mask-wearing, social distancing and frequent hand washing as there is no vaccine for the deadly virus yet, and strict observance of health department guidelines only would ensure containment of the outbreak.
He also said that steps have been taken to bring back the State�s people stranded outside and those returnees must also adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
Referring to the 15 people in Guwahati testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday, Sonowal urged people not to panic as only staying united in this fight against the global pandemic can bring victory. Ostracising of coronavirus patients should never happen and he assured that the government was fully capable of handling rising cases of COVID-19 in the State.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Naba Kumar Doley accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
