All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and former Himachal minister Sudhir Sharma on Saturday accused the Centre of misleading the general public on extent of Covid-19 spread.
Sharma alleged the Centre has become continuously denying that community spread had begun.
“However, the quantity of cases indicates the contrary. The federal government is peddling false aspire to the public, ” Sharma said.
“With around1 and 74,000 cases and around 4,900 deaths in the nation, it is inconceivable that there is absolutely no community spread,” he stated, adding that this was safer to arrange for the worst and hope to find the best.
He explained people were not going to trust the us government.
The Congress leader asked if the Union government had blueprint ready for tackling Covid-19 once the lockdown ends.
He said as per experts, both from India and abroad, the number of cases were rapidly increasing and might be likely to peak in July, which means that the curve was more likely to extend till September.
“And there is a chance of a second wave in the winter months,” he explained.
“As per these experts, at some point in early July (or even earlier) our health infrastructure will completely breakdown, which in simple terms mean hospitals in several places and cities will exhaust your beds to take care of Covid-19 patients,” Sharma said.
Sharma said the four lockdowns, which lasted 69 days, failed to combat the onslaught from the deadly virus.
He warned that no vaccines is going to be available till early next season: “If our company is not prepared, we could lose this battle up against the virus,” he explained.
EXTEND MGNERA TO HARVESTING
He demanded that MGNREGA be extended harvesting and other agricultural activities.
This will serve dual purpose-those who are out of jobs will get work and the farmers who are struggling to find labour for harvesting can get help.
“The Union government should work towards a national program which offers ration to each and every citizen with or without a ration card, for a minimum of six months, which happens to be easily achievable given our ample stock of food grains,” Sharma said.
The Centre should prioritise activities which will allow the economy to recover. Allow freedom of motion for work including public transport but ban mass cultural, social and religious gatherings for the next couple of months, he explained.
“We realize that the virus spreads with or without a lockdown. But we cannot fight the Covid-19 virus before eating any breakfast,” he said.
