Thane, May 8 (PTI) In a bid to reach out to villagers effectively and convince them to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, Thane Zilla Parishad is putting age-old 'davandi' or public proclamation system to good use.

The drive, which is the brainchild of Thane Zilla Parishad CEO Bhaushaeb Dhangde, is proving effective in villages in Thane district, an official said on Saturday.

ZP PRO Pankaj Chavan told reporters the 'davandi' proclamation about the dos and don'ts regarding the pandemic is made in the local dialect.

He said the ZP has roped in teachers of schools for this drive.

He said the singing of 'powadas' or ballads is another initiative to reach out to villagers.

Simultaneously, the ZP is using graphics, videos, animations, short films etc to reach out to the masses.

The coronavirus tally in Thane district stood at 4,84,769 as on May 7 while the death toll stood at 7,935, an official had said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)