Telangana Congress has decided to convene a meet of all the Opposition parties on April 15 to discuss the coronavirus situation in the State and review the measures taken by the government to handle the lockdown.
The decision was taken at the meeting of TPCC task force on COVID-19 at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy later told the media that the meeting, presided by committee chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy discussed several issues pertaining to the relief works being carried out across the Telangana State by Congress activists.
Mr. Uttam Reddy reminded that it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who alerted everyone on February 12 itself about the serious threat coronavirus poses for our people and economy and had also expressed apprehension that the government was not taking this threat seriously. Now, Rahul Gandhi’s fears came true as the government acted only after one-and-a-half month when it called for ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22.
The TPCC chief claimed that the relief promised by the government due to lockdown was delayed and there were several discrepancies in the distribution of 12 kg per person free rice among BPL families. None of them got the promised ₹ 1500 financial assistance and similarly, the migrant workers too did not get the promised help of 10 kg rice and ₹ 500 cash.
He announced that he would be writing a detailed letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on the present condition of people affected by the lockdown in the State.
Mr. Reddy expressed deep regret over sanitation workers across the State not being paid salaries for the last two months and urged the government to pay 50% of salary as incentive to the sanitation, municipal and gram panchayat staff, ASHA workers, medical staff, police personnel and all others who have been working as frontline warriors in the battle against coronavirus.
The TPCC chief asked the Chief Minister to clarify on the status of promise made by the Centre of providing 15 kg rice per person for three months. Centre’s promise of one free LPG cylinder for three months to the beneficiaries of Ujwala scheme be extended to the beneficiaries of Deepam Scheme in Telangana.
He also questioned the Chief Minister on the urgency in calling tenders worth ₹ 22,000 crore for Kaleshwaram project when the entire country is at war with coronavirus. The Task Force meeting was attended by former deputy CM Damodar Rajanarasimha, AICC secretary Sampath Kumar, AICC spokesperson Dasoju Sravan and other senior leaders.
