The Congress on Friday iterated the need for an action plan for the poor and the lower middle class, warning the government of a dreadful future if the most vulnerable sections of the society were not protected.
“Forget the big industries for the time being. The first priority is to protect the poor. Open the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), loosen your purse strings. Don’t get bogged down in identification processes. Reach out to the poor, give food and money in their hands,” Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken told a media conference.
“Only by instilling confidence in the masses that the government is looking after them can the problem of the movement of migrants be solved,” he added.
Pointing out that Delhi had the largest number of migrant labourers in the country, Maken proposed a 10-point action plan for the Arvind Kejriwal government that could be replicated by other mega cities.
“Migrants are not only labourers or construction workers, but also include (those) self-employed as street vendors, rickshaw pullers, maid servants, rag pickers, etc. Rs 7,500 should be provided to each of them per month,” the Congress leader said.
Maken drew attention to the Congress government in Chhattisgarh providing two months’ free ration to 86 per cent households.
The Congress veteran said that “70kg rice or wheat, 2kg sugar and 3kg pulses should be distributed among every household in all the slums, resettlement colonies, unauthorised colonies and regularised colonies. This will cover around 60 per cent of households in Delhi.”
Maken highlighted the decision of the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Punjab to defer the fixed charges in the electricity bills of all non-domestic (commercial) and industrial users for March and April, and urged the Delhi state government to do the same till factories and other establishments reopen.
“The Delhi government should ask private schools not to charge any fees for three months and shoulder 75 per cent of the salaries of the teachers. The government should also bear 75 per cent of the salary bill of all the MSMEs for three months. Private and government safai karmcharis (sanitation workers) and healthcare workers should be given Rs 7,500 per month as risk allowance for three months,” Maken said.
The Congress’s other demands included the release of two months’ pension to senior citizens, widows and physically challenged persons, as has been done by the Punjab and Rajasthan governments, and the payment of Rs 5,000 each to unemployed youths up to the age of 35.
Maken said migrant labourers were the lifeline of big cities and bringing them back would be difficult if they returned home in acute distress.
Maken sought a standard operating procedure (SOP) for those exempted from the lockdown and people engaged in essential services, pointing out that 89 people had to be quarantined after coming in contact with a pizza delivery boy who tested positive for the coronavirus in Delhi.
“Why is there not a regulation for all individuals who are exempted from the lockdown? An SOP should be prepared for delivery boys and notified as regulations so that they are binding on everyone. Protective gear, including sanitisers, masks and gloves, should be provided by the employers,” Maken said.
He lamented that several hospitals had refused to conduct the Covid-19 test on the pizza delivery boy although he had showed symptoms. The SOP should include early testing of this vulnerable section, Maken said.
Stressing the need for aggressive and strategic testing, the Congress leader said people who had no travel history and contact with those who had come from abroad were getting infected.
“The government says there are 135 under-investigation cases in Delhi, which means suspects who are traceless. So, have we entered Stage 3 of the Covid-19 (pandemic)?” Maken asked. Community transmission takes place in Stage 3.
Taking strong exception to the unavailability of personal protective equipment kits for doctors and other frontline health workers, Maken said: “Fifty-five doctors and healthcare professionals have been infected in Delhi. This is the highest in the country. Reports of huge scarcity of PPEs are coming even now.
“It was only in a meeting on April 4 that chief minister Kejriwal asked for realistic estimates for the requirement of consumables like N-95 masks, surgical masks, PPE kits, etc, in all public scenarios. It is tragic that we don’t know this basic detail till this late stage.”