DW BUREAU / Chandigarh The Haryana government has stepped up testing in rural areas to check COVID spread, with Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala saying the idea is to screen as many as possible after reports that despite showing symptoms some people were not getting themselves checked. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader dismissed Opposition leaders' claims that there was under-reporting of COVID deaths in rural areas, saying there is no truth in this. When asked what steps are being taken by the government to check COVID-19 spread in villages, Chautala, who also holds the Panchayats department portfolio, said during a news conference here on Tuesday that funds up to Rs 50,000 have been released to gram panchayats to set up isolation wards. Besides, funds have also been released to buy necessary equipment like oximeters. He said that recently when it was brought to his notice that there has been increase in COVID cases in Budha Khera village in Jind district, more than 500 people were screened. As the second wave of the pandemic started, reports started coming from many other big villages about some people having reported symptoms like fever. "In big villages timely detection did not happen as many people did not report after fever and other symptoms showed up, so proper testing could not take place in primary phase (when second wave started). "However, now testing has been scaled up. All deputy commissioners have been given directions in this regard and Rapid Antigen Testing, RT-PCR tests are being done and testing capacity has also been increased," he said, adding those who are found positive are moved to isolation wards. Notably, recently there have been reports of unusually high number of deaths than average in many Haryana villages including Mundhal Khurd, Mundhal Kalan and Bapora in Bhiwani, Titoli and Madina in Rohtak as well as some deaths in few villages in Hisar district, with many of those who passed away showing COVID-like symptoms. Over 30 people had died in village Bapora in Bhiwani over the past two weeks, its sarpanch Naresh Kumar had said recently. (editor@dailyworld.in)