COVID-19

Twenty-two like-minded parties met today to exchange views on the extraordinary situation in the country arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. The economy has collapsed. All sections of society face acute distress. Livelihoods have been destroyed. Lives have been lost.

The people of the country who implemented the three week long lockdown ending today were looking forward to concrete measures that the government will undertake to resolve the problems that arose during these three weeks and provide the much needed relief for a large number of our poor, marginalised and migrant labour.

Trump’s threat of retaliation for easing restrictions on the export of vital generic drugs including Hydroxychloroquine is a plain attempt at arm twisting. The government’s capitulation to this brazen blackmail undermines the vital concerns in our battle against the viral pandemic. This also signals yet another surrender to US interests.

Full text of the letter addressed to the President of India by CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, urging the President to prevail upon the Central Government to act on the measures suggested in his letter.

The National and State grid authorities have already warned the central and state governments of the danger to the grid. The PM should immediately withdraw this call of a self-imposed blackout of the nation.

Many problems have surfaced in a sharp manner which need to be resolved urgently. Many of these were anticipated but unfortunately no remedial action was taken before the announcement of the lockdown.