NE NEWS SERVICE
AMARAVATI, MAY 11
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has stressed the need for Central aid for strengthening medical infrastructure in the state and said that the stigma element should be removed from COVID-19 besides giving a boost to MSMEs and MSP to agriculture produce and allow free transportation of goods across the country.
Andhra Pradesh CM @ysjagan anna participated in the Video conference held by Hon'ble @PMOIndia Sri @narendramodi ji along with other Chief Ministers of states, to discuss further actions to be taken to combat the COVID-19 collectively.@AndhraPradeshCM #IndiaFightCorona pic.twitter.com/LQldqZYTmo
— Y Vikranth Reddy (@VikranthYReddy) May 11, 2020
During the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra on Monday, the Chief Minister said, medical system should be strengthened in the state from village clinics to area hospitals in each of the 25 parliament constituencies which need around Rs 16,000 crores which the Centre should be generous in helping the state.
The state is also looking towards interest-free and low rate long term loans and economic stimulus package besides restoring transportation without any hindrance at any check post.
The state has followed all the guidelines of centre during the lock down and the frontline warriors like village volunteers have done the third round house to house survey.
There has been a lot of stigma on Corona patients which is one reason why the people are not coming out openly fearing that they would be ostracized which defeats the purpose of conducting tests and putting in place the medical facilities.
The media should not scare people but should give encouraging reports, he said adding that the State stands first in the number of tests conducted per million. Testing, treating and self-isolation should be the course in the coming days. In 80 per cent of the cases only mild symptoms are found. We need to make people live with corona virus till the vaccine is produced, he said.
The Chief Minister has explained the current financial status of the State and challenges arising in various sectors like agriculture, MSMEs and transport during the lockdown period.
The Chief Minister urged the PM to support with RS 16,000-crore or by providing interest-free loans or with a low-interest rate for developing health infrastructure in the State without including it in Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM).
He said, the medical system should be strengthened in the state from village clinics to area hospitals and establish teaching hospitals one in each of the 25 parliament constituencies for better health services in future.
The MSME sector should be supported by deferring or waiving loans for two quarters as the State has 97,000 units employing about 9.7 lakh people.
With regard to transportation, the Chief Minister suggested the usage of masks and sanitizers in public transportation and urged to resume public transportation at the earliest possible, since the work operations are being highly affected, as majority of the working class rely on public transport. Similarly, he emphasised on the goods transportation and requested to make sure that there are no hurdles in transporting the goods. Apart from this, the Chief Minister also stressed to providing Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers.
On the procurement front in agriculture produce, it should be improved from 30 to 50 % and MSP should be provided to horticulture sector as well. “We need to prepare people to live with coronavirus till the vaccine is ready and also bring awareness among them to remove the stigma element from COVID-19.
The Chief Minister further highlighted the need for following Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) in all manufacturing units, workplaces, and public spaces for controlling the spread of the virus.
“Public should be in a state of self-reporting their symptoms, getting tested and treated along with self-isolation without any fear of stigma should come in the forefront. Removal of fear and stigma from the public can bring normalcy in the situation and also impact in building up the State economy.”
Migrant labours are precious and interstate movement should go on uninterrupted as the raw material movement is a must, Jagan stressed, says a release from CMO.
