Strength of federalism has given major boost to fight against COVID-19: Soren

The strength of federalism has come to the fore in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic with many chief ministers coordinating with each other to help out people stranded outside their home states, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on Thursday.

Soren said he spoke with chief ministers of various states, including Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi, where people of Jharkhand were working and they promised all support.

In an interview to PTI, he said based on the total calls received at the migrant helpline being run by the state's labour department, there are about 7 lakh Jharkhandis who are currently outside the state,
Asked about the impending decision on whether to open the lockdown at the end of the 21-day period, Soren said, "Opening of the lockdown is a big challenge. It needs to be assessed keeping in mind that social distancing and health services do not collapse."