Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayansamy said the Union Territory needs at least ₹300 crore to fight the COVID-19 pandemic but has not got a penny from the Centre. To add to this, Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi was constantly interfering in the day-to-day working of the government, he said.
So far, only seven COVID-19 cases had surfaced in Puducherry. Mr. Narayanasamy lauded his Cabinet Ministers and the administration down to the level of health workers for effectively managing the spread. “Both our neighbouring States — Kerala and Tamil Nadu — have reported a huge number of cases. Thankfully we have managed to contain it properly. Unfortunately, the government of India is not recognising our efforts,” he said at a press conference organised through video call.
He said that despite no support from the Union government, his government had provided ₹2,000 to each family to tide over this difficult time. Farmers were given ₹5000 each to sustain themselves; substantive help had been extended to women self-help groups. He said that while the Centre was only extending help to the Below Poverty Line ration card holders, his government had reached out to Above Poverty Line ration card holders too.
“Our main source of revenue was excise duty and GST. Both have dried up because of the lockdown and the delay in giving GST payouts by the Centre,” he added.
