Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik known for out of the box thinking when he said on April 19 that sarpanches in Gram Panchayats will be given powers of District Magistrates in their respective jurisdiction to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

Odisha has already announced anyone coming from outside after lockdown is eased out will have to go to 14-day quarantine before resuming normal activities. The 14-day quarantine is very important to protect returnees and their families. So to implement this effectively, the government decided to delegate powers of DM to sarpanches for their jurisdiction under Section 51 of Disaster Management Act, 2005, Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 read with Odisha COVID-19 Regulations, 2020.

People from Odisha stranded in other parts of the country and wanting to return will be brought to the state after the lockdown period is over. They will have to mandatorily register their names with the help of their families and friends at their respective panchayats. They will have to follow a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days on their return.

The state will bear all expenses of the quarantine period. After the completion of the quarantine period, the government will provide them with Rs 2,000 as an incentive.