Sources say the Cabinet meet tomorrow is likely to approve the recommendations made by the Group of Ministers (GoM) for evolving a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the virus.
The plan involves stepping up healthcare, water and sanitation facilities for the affected persons, besides improving their nutrition and rehabilitation plan involving the five ministeries of Health and Family Welfare, Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, Women and Child Development and Social Justice and Empowerment.
While the biggest component of around Rs 2,000 crore is of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry, the Health Ministry will contribute to the extent of Rs 1,300 crore and the remaining by the other Ministries. Due to shortage of funds, some Ministries have agreed to finance the plan through their own budgetary resources, thr sources say.
The GoM had in November last year made certain recommendations for tackling the deadly virus which has affected over 6,300 persons across the country till September.
Incidentally, even after almost 1,000 deaths due to the virus, the authorities have so far not been able to identify the virus in the worst affected states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Among some of the recommendations made by the GoM are provision of safe drinking water to the affected persons by replacing shallow tubewells with deep tubewells and providing proper sanitation facilities in high risk districts, besides setting up improved health facilities and step-up vaccination of children in the area.
The GoM also recommended provision of improved health management systems to tackle JE/AES, improve nutrition of the affected people and undertake their rehabilitation, besides helping people in affected areas to find alternative means of livelihood for pig-rearing population and set up special schools for mentally challenged children in affected areas.