Accusing the Modi authorities of “gross unpreparedness” and “adhocism” in coping with the COVID-19 disaster, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday made a slew of recommendations to the Centre to take care of the pandemic similar to decreasing the immunization age to 25 years and offering earnings assist to folks. In her opening remarks, whereas chairing the assembly of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Gandhi additionally accused the Centre of giving preferential therapy to some states whereas sustaining “thundering silence” on requests of states dominated by the Congress and opposition events.
The Congress has at all times believed that preventing the COVID-19 pandemic is a nationwide problem that needs to be saved above social gathering politics, she asserted. “We have extended our hands of cooperation right from February-March, 2020. We cannot, however, lose sight of the fact that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the country with fury. Despite a year to prepare, we have, regrettably, been caught off guard again,” Gandhi mentioned. Instead of listening to the constructive recommendations of the opposition, Union ministers are pressed into service to assault leaders of opposition for giving these recommendations, she mentioned.
“This convoluted ‘me versus you’ debate is childish and totally unnecessary,” Gandhi asserted. Making a bunch of recommendations to the federal government, she mentioned the Centre should additionally rethink its precedence for vaccine candidates by decreasing the immunization age to 25 years and above as additionally all youthful individuals with at-risk well being issues like bronchial asthma, angina, diabetes, kidney and liver illnesses and different comparable illnesses. “In the course of my talks with our chief ministers, the question of GST (Goods and Services Tax) came up. They felt that as a preliminary measure, all equipment, instruments, medicines and support required to prevent and treat COVID-19 should be made free from GST,” Gandhi mentioned.
It is a matter of grave concern that life saving medicine like Remdesivir and medical oxygen as additionally different primary dietary supplements are subjected to 12 per cent GST, the Congress chief mentioned. “As the central and state governments move ahead to control the situation by resorting to partial curfews, travel restrictions, closure and lock downs; we will again be restricting economic activity that will hit the already beleaguered people, especially the poor and the daily wagers,” she mentioned.
It is, subsequently, crucial to supply month-to-month earnings assist and switch an quantity of Rs 6,000 in each eligible citizen’s account, Gandhi mentioned. Taking on these difficult instances as Indians slightly than as political opponents will likely be true ‘Rajadharma’, she burdened. The CWC meet was additionally attended by former social gathering chief Rahul Gandhi, common secretaries, different everlasting invitees and state in-charges of the social gathering.
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