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Rahul's remedy to minimise Corona casualties
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 3/26/2020 12:04:44 AM
NEW DELHI, Mar 25: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday came out with his own prescriptions on how to minimise casualties in the war India is fighting against the Coronavirus.
In a tweet, he said the strategy should have two components, one to tackle the dreaded disease and second to minimise its impact on the economy.
To tackle COVID-19, he said:
a. Isolate the virus and block its escape routes. Massively expand testing to identity and treat those who are infected.
b. Create massive emergency field hospitals in particularly in urban areas with full ICU capability to provide care to patients.
As regards the economy, he said:
a. Those who survive on daily wages need immediate help & support through direct cash transfers into their accounts & free rations. Delaying this will cause widespread devastation & chaos.
b. Many industries are struggling. Act quickly by announcing tax breaks & financial support to prevent massive job losses & reassure business owners that the Govt will support them through this crisis.
There was an expectation that the Modi-government would come out with the economic package because of a lengthy meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi at his residence here.
No package, however, emerged from the Cabinet briefing by I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar. Asked specifically, he wriggled out saying wait for the package promised on Tuesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
He said 80 crore poor will get 7 kg of wheat and rice at Rs 2 a kilo and the Centre is rushing supplies to the states for the next three months. He said the Cabinet discussed how to handle 21 days of the nationwide lockdown and appealed to the people not to fall for the rumours.
The minister also appealed to the people not to crowd at shops to stock up materials as shops for the essential items will remain open every day during the lockdown.
Asked about the migrant workers in cities like Delhi and Mumbai unable to return home because of stoppage of train and bus services, Javadekar said they were living somewhere and so they should stay put there. "Jahan ho, vahin raho," is the PM's message, he said.