A Congress delegation that met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Sunday urged him to increase testing for COVID-19 as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols and provide salaries to frontline workers on time.
The delegation said that testing of 10,000 per 10 lakh population, as per the WHO guidelines, has to be done in the State. It also urged the government to meet the losses incurred by farmers unable to bring their produce to the markets.
The delegation, which included Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, KPCC president-designate D.K. Shivakumar, and former Ministers R.V. Deshpande, G. Parameshwara, and Dinesh Gundu Rao, also highlighted the targeting of a particular community as responsible for spreading of virus. They said that a few BJP MPs and MLAs have issued derogatory statements. The leaders also drew the Chief Minister’s attention to politicians pasting their photographs on relief materials issued by the government.
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“The government cannot keep quiet despite the poor financial condition of the State. The Congress, as an Opposition party, will cooperate with the State government,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah. He referred to the alleged discrepancies in relief works. “Just about ₹30 crore has been released from the Construction Workers’ Welfare Board and so far, only one lakh workers have received dry ration kits in Bengaluru. There are lakhs of workers who do not have income and are not getting relief from the government. Announce a package to safeguard them,” he said.
They submitted a memorandum urging the State government to disburse the salaries of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, anganwadi and ASHAs, who are rendering dedicated service risking their lives. They also said such workers should be provided with a special pay. Furthermore, they also said that under the COVID-19 scare, hospitals and clinics were not performing.