Sonia Gandhi says lockdown unplanned, urges Centre to prepare Common Minimum Relief Programme

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday 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.

"The 21-day national lockdown may have been necessary but the unplanned manner in which it has been implemented has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India. 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.

She emphasised on the apathy of farmers and medium and small scale businessmen during the lockdown and said the farmers urgently require the availability of fertilizers and pesticides, access to easy lines of credit, forward guidance in preparing for the planting of the Kharif crop and demanded proper remuneration prices for them to assist them to survive in the present economic situation.

"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.

"Close to ninety per cent of our fellow Indians toiling in the Unorganised Sector are also extremely vulnerable. They are already facing tremendous hardship due to hunger and lack of health facilities. As a nation, we owe them our full and constructive support," she said.

She urged the Congress governments in different states, frontal organisations, party leaders and workers to step forward and offer their help to those families who are at extreme risk.

"We must take immediate measures to guarantee adequate shelter, food and medicines to as many of them as we can. COVID-19 does not differentiate between political ideology, religion, caste, age or gender. The choices we make today will have a direct impact tomorrow on our family, neighbourhood, community, environment and nation," she said adding that the situation can be overcome if all act together in solidarity.