L J Ravi CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, has written a letter to the Prime Minister detailing the measures that need to be put in place in order to fight and defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The full text of the letter sent yesterday, is being released for publication.
Full Text of the Letter Dated April 25, 202
Dear Pradhan Mantriji,
Unfortunately, I am constrained to write to you once again during this lockdown. My previous communications to you listing out various measures that the central government must undertake to alleviate the sufferings of a vast section of our people during the lockdown have gone unanswered. In fact they have not even been acknowledged, which is unusual.
I am seeking to once again draw your attention to the pressing issues facing the country and the majority of our people.
We are now entering the last week of the forty-day nation-wide lockdown that you had announced suddenly and abruptly with a mere four-hour notice. This left both the people and the state governments completely unprepared to meet the grave consequences of the sudden lockdown.
1. Migrant Workers: Since the lockdown, the urge among the migrant workers to return to their homes has seen surging crowds in huge numbers seeking to leave for their homes as they have lost all means of livelihood and shelter. This in itself negated one of the objectives of the lockdown, of maintaining physical distancing in order to contain community transmission of the pandemic. Hunger, malnutrition and homelessness continue to plague the lives of crores of our people. Since the announcement of the lockdown we had suggested that the Central government must immediately provide free food to all the needy. Huge stocks of foodgrains are rotting in our central godowns. These should be sent to the states for free distribution. Neither of these demands have even been considered by the government with you as the Prime Minister.
