Bhalla demands Rs 10,000 cash assistance, 40 Kg ration to lower and middle class families for six months

19/05/2020
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JAMMU, May 18: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhala on Monday expressed serious concerns lack of proper facilities in various quarantine Centres. After repeated complaints from patients about lack of proper facilities at quarantine centres, he sought fresh guidelines to the staff to ensure better management of such centres. The incident is not an isolated one. Upset over poor facilities at quarantine centres, many have taken to protesting. There are also several reports of people raising their voice and expressing their anger over the mismanagement at quarantine centres in government-run school buildings, panchayat buildings and other buildings. He asserted that the marginalised and vulnerable sections of J&K are in extremely dire straits. Many households are becoming more and more indebted to meet their daily needs. There is scarcity of essential items and the prices have sky-rocketed," he added. He asked the Government to provide at least Rs 10,000 as cash assistance to the people belonged to the lower and middle class families along with 40 kg ration per family for six months or till the lockdown is over.He said ration grains are not being distributed as yet in many areas of Jammu and Kashmir, although there are massive food grain stocks in Central Government godowns. There are complaints of over-charging on essential commodities in which poor people are become the worst victims. He sought urgent steps to control the prices of all essential commodities. He urged Lt Governor to immediately provide doorstep delivery of free ration, vegetables, milk, drinking water, soaps, sanitizers and assured water supply for all vulnerable sections of society. He urged upon the people to use these relaxations with utmost care and sensitivity to defeat novel Coronavirus.
Former Minister further said that ongoing lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit the working class. He said we all need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters during these tough times. He demanded Govt to expedite efforts on ground to tackle COVID-19 in J&K and urged everyone to provide all assistance to the needy as the lockdown is eased. He suggested the government to first focus on the poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers.In India, the economy has been brought to a halt. Except for essentials, the output of large swathes of the economy has dropped to zero.
Production at factories, occupancy at hotels, sales in bazaars are pretty much down to zero. Revenue for most businesses is down to zero. But the costs remain - salaries, rent and loan repayments. Naturally, profits will get squeezed, losses will mount.
Because the economy has been in a slowdown since 2018, the national lockdown has added to the stress in banks and financial players, private companies, government-run public transport operators such as Air India and Indian Railways, small firms, unorganised sector units, informal workers and vulnerable individuals, especially daily wagers. Pay cuts, retrenchments, loan defaults, bankruptcies, business collapses, income losses and wealth destruction are inescapable, Bhalla added.
Bhalla asserted that relief must be well-targeted, and not squandered on unconditional giveaways to big businesses and well-off consumers. The chief policy imperative at this stage ought to be setting up administrative channels for delivering food, essentials, relief and health infrastructure to the remotest corners and the poorest and most vulnerable people. The income shock from all-India lockdown will force such people to borrow for basic necessities from informal lenders at steep rates.
Many may slip below the poverty line.The lethal pandemic of COVID-19 has hampered all sectors of life in India.
The virus led to the lockdown of countries across the country and India's daily wagers and poor are struggling to survive in coronavirus lockdown. However, the government and certain segments of society are doing their best to help them. But the truth is, a majority of such people are facing hunger and are waiting for some help or a miracle, said Bhalla.

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