Picture : Twitter / ANI
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has urged the Centre to prepare and publish a Common Minimum Relief Programme, stating that it will alleviate several concerns of people triggered due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.
She asserted that the “magnitude of the challenge before us is daunting” but everyone’s resolve to overcome it must be greater.
Highlighting the vulnerability of the middle class during the COVID-19 lockdown, she said: “Wage cuts, job losses across all sectors of the economy, high petrol diesel and gas prices are causing them acute distress. If this was not enough, while EMIs have been deferred, no interest subvention or relief has been provided. This offsets the entire purpose of the deferment. I urge the Central Government to prepare and publish a Common Minimum Relief Programme. This is vital and will help alleviate several of the concerns that currently afflict all people.”
The Congress president termed the 21-day national lockdown “unplanned” and said it has caused chaos and panic in the lives of migrant workers. “It has been heartbreaking to see lakhs of people walking for hundreds of kilometres towards their villages without food or shelter,” she said.
Gandhi further requested the government to publish and make available details of designated hospitals, number of beds, quarantine and testing facilities, as well as information regarding the availability of medical supplies to the general public.
“Medium and small-scale enterprises, are now gravely threatened. They have been hit hardest by recent events. The livelihood of crores of our citizens has been im-perilled. The government needs to put in place a comprehensive strategy to manage this crisis,” she said.Gandhi said that as the condition of people involved in unorganised sectors is extremely vulnerable, the government owes them full and constructive support.
