Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 16: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today expressed serious concern over alarming rise of COVID-19 in the country in general and J&K in particular.
He maintained that 40-day country-wide lockdown may prevent the spread of Coronavirus, but the measure would bring a “financial epidemic” on five crore families of hawkers and those who supply them with products.
“There are four crore hawkers across the country and at least one crore families run tiny and small industrial units that feed these vendors. They don’t know how to make both ends meet as their businesses have come to a complete halt,” Bhalla said, adding that financial epidemic is knocking at the door.
“Even after the lockdown is lifted, they would not have any money left to restart the business. They are nothing more than daily wage earners. If the situation prevails, they will face starvation. Now, they are totally dependent on the State Governments ration and aids given by social organizations,” Bhalla said and claimed that the J&K Government is yet to provide its hundreds of hawkers’ community with any direct financial support.
Meanwhile, former Minister today continued the distribution of ration and other essential items among needy people. Today he distributed food items at Bahu Fort, Rajiv Nagar, Masjid Mohalla, Shahabad Mohalla. Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla included Deewan Chand, Gagan Bral, Sahil Shavotra, Aman Bawa, Inderjeet Nargotra, Iqbal Singh, Latish Sharma, Bittu Shavotra, Rufi Pajgotra, Sunny Kumar and Sher Singh Khokhar.
“Experts say that this will only buy time by impeding the spread Covid-19, which could be accelerated again once the curbs are lifted. The Government needs to use this time well by augmenting its health care infrastructure on a war footing to push back the virus. If the Government relies only on the lockdown and doesn’t take immediate action to build hospitals and have more beds for its citizens, a rapid spread of Sars-Cov-2 when restrictions are lifted may knockout the health care system with surging caseloads and many needing intensive care. India’s overstretched health system is already grappling with shortages of doctors, health workers and hospital beds, especially in rural areas and densely populated states. There is currently no vaccine to prevent Covid-19. The best prevention method is to avoid being exposed to the virus,” Bhalla expressed.
Bhalla strongly maintained that in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the daily wagers are hit the most, adding that the COVID-19 scare has affected the livelihoods of daily wage earners due to slowing down of the economy, so Govt should come to their rescue, plan to give unemployment benefits to contract and temporary workers who have lost their jobs temporarily due to the challenges posed by the virus.
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