The invading virus and U.P.’s ill-equipped villages

With the discovery of several bodies in and near the Ganga, serious concerns have been raised on the extent to which COVID-19 has made inroads into the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. Omar Rashid reports on the State's efforts to ramp up facilities in villages where the health infrastructure is poor

“Ganga has revealed the truth!” exclaims Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, head priest of the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi. Located in the heart of the ancient city, the temple is where the faithful come to seek an end to their problems. But the region has been witness to a grisly sight over the past week. Semi-decomposed and bloated bodies have been found floating in the sacred river. Mishra, who is also a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-BHU, says this indicates that the is far worse than it appears. Ever since the bodies were discovered, . They have set up pickets in at least seven districts and even offered a support sum of ₹5,000 to those who cannot afford wood for cremation, to dissuade them from immersing bodies in rivers.