Yechury urges President Kovind to nudge Centre for effective steps during lockdown

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to prevail upon the Centre to take measures in connection with the nationwide lockdown imposed in the country.

The letter written by Yechury raises the issue of difficulties faced by migrant workers due to the lockdown and added that the state governments were not taken into confidence before announcing the same.

He, therefore, urged the Centre to "generously financially support the states" in the wake of the migrant workers' crisis.

Yechury has also asked the President to urge the Central government to dispatch 7.5 crore tonnes of foodgrains which are stored in the central FCI godowns and also to announce compensation for the employers around the country. Deferring of loans and EMI payments by three months and a "one-time waiver of loans taken by our kisans (farmers)" has also been suggested by the CPI (M) leader.

The senior leader also said that "the country needs to test as extensively as possible, identify the clusters where the virus is being transmitted, isolate them and enforce lockdown in those areas and not countrywide."

The other measures suggested by Yechury include merging the PM-CARES Fund with the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to ensure better transparency and accountability and also to take steps to not allow "communal polarisation to grow" when the country needs to be united in the fight against the pandemic.

India's tally of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 4,421, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday. Out of the 4,421 cases, 3,981 are active cases while 325 have been cured or discharged and one has migrated. The death toll stands at 114.