Chief Ministers raise funds crunch with Modi

12/04/2020

Echoing the complaint, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said 62% of the workforce in his State was engaged in agriculture, which was hit by the drastic fall in inter-State movement of farm goods. With less than 25% of the trucks plying the highways, there were no marketing avenues. “How much can we absorb locally? Many families will face destitution if this continues,” he said. The industries could not be expected to pay wages while they were not working, he added.

“Today is the 18th day of the lockdown and we are yet to get a single paisa from the government to assist us in the fight against the coronavirus. My government has given ₹2,000 a family to all APL and BPL card-holders, ₹5,000 to farmers and a substantial aid to self-help groups. Where will we get the money?” Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said. The Prime Minister, he said, did not address any of these concerns.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said revenue collection had been hit by the lockdown, and the State had not received any Central assistance. He demanded that the State’s access to 3% of revenue under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act be increased to 5%.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said restrictions should be limited to zones with a high number of cases. “There are 676 mandals, of which only 37 are in the red zone and 44 in orange. So there are only 81 mandals affected by the coronavirus. In my opinion, the lockdown should be limited to the red zone,” he said.

‘No air transport’

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said economic activities should be allowed within the States. He said international air transport and inter-State transport and train services should not be restarted. He also pitched for a special package for the micro, small and medium enterprises.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue of constant interference from the Governors and the Lieutenant-Governors. “She told the Prime Minister that during this period of crisis some of the Governors are interfering in the day-to-day working of the State governments, which is now taking menacing proportions,” Mr. Narayanasamy said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the Mr. Modi to arrange for special trains to transport migrant workers home. He said the government should give them wages for the next three months.