Friday, 14 May 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The state has 771 active cases per lakh population which is seven times more than UP
In terms of the active cases per lakh of population the small Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is ranked on seventh position among the 36 states and Union Territories of the country. A study done by the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation has reflected the extent to which the contagion of Covid 19 has spread in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand had 77,082 active cases on Wednesday which when computed with the total population of 1 crore (Census of 2011) shows that the state has 771 active cases per lakh of population. Incidentally Uttarakhand holds the dubious distinction of being on the top of the list of the Himalayan states in active cases per lakh of population. The state also has the highest deaths per lakh of population among the Himalayan states. Among the Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh has 573, Sikkim 478, Manipur 195, Mizoram 185, Nagaland 165, Arunachal Pradesh 150, Meghalaya 113 and Tripura 100 active cases per lakh of population. What is concerning is that Uttarakhand has seven times more active cases than neighbouring Uttar Pradesh per lakh of population. UP has 103, Haryana 421, Punjab 289, Delhi 495 and Jammu and Kashmir 422 active cases per lakh population as compared with 771 in Uttarakhand.
The founder of SDC foundation Anoop Nautiyal said that the data shows the extent of mismanagement of the pandemic in Uttarakhand. He said that the infection rate in the state is more than 20 per cent in the last seven days and in the last eight days more than 100 deaths have occurred daily.
“These are hard facts which raise very important questions. It shows that what the government claims to do is not enough to contain the pandemic. Why are active cases not declining in Uttarakhand? What is the government doing to reduce the number of deaths? The people of Uttarakhand want answers to these questions,’’ he said.
