22 KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF MEETING OF PM MODI WITH CM OF DIFFERENT STATES HELD ON 11TH MAY, 2020

22 key HIGHLIGHTS of meeting of pm modi with cm of different states on 11^th may, 2020

  

1.    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out that out that it will take some time to get a vaccine, said: "I request you all to share with me by 15th May, a broad strategy on how each one of you would want to deal with the lockdown regime in your particular states. I want states to make a blueprint on how to deal with various nuances during and after the gradual easing of the lockdown."

"We have a twofold challenge – to reduce the transmission rate of the disease, and to increase public activity adhering to all the guidelines," the Prime Minister said. "We now have reasonably clear indication as to the geographical spread of the pandemic... The effort should be to stop the spread of the COVID-19 to rural areas," he added.

2.        Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa proposed that the district-wise classification of Red, Orange and Green Zones be done away with. He said that only containment zones should be identified and strictly cordoned off and a perimeter of 50-100 meters around known clusters may be declared as containment zones. He suggested that commercial activities including public transport should be allowed in non-containment zones.

3.        Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has repeatedly drawn attention to the loss of revenue for the city-state, said economic activities should resume in the capital, except in coronavirus containment zones which are in strict lockdown to check the spread of the virus.

4.        Assam has asked that the lockdown be extended for two more weeks and that inter-state movement is stopped.

5.        Maharashtra Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said any decision on the lockdown must be taken "cautiously", pointing to the recurrence of the virus in China's Wuhan, and predictions that in India it may peak in May, June or July. Maharashtra has the highest number of cases in the country and there is apprehension that resumption of economic activities could pose new risks.

6.        Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urged that panchayats are involved in the fight against Covid-19.

Advocating a greater role for local bodies in the battle against the coronavirus, the chief minister said the Union government may modify existing schemes to incentivise and actively involve Panchayati Raj institutions in Covid-19 management.

7.        Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the Centre should allow state governments to decide on red, green, orange zones based on the severity of the coronavirus situation in areas under their jurisdiction.

He also urged to increase 100 days of employment fixed under MGNREGA to 200 days.

8.       West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, one of the first Chief Ministers to speak, reportedly attacked the centre saying it was "using coronavirus as an excuse" to play politics. "This is not the time to do politics, don't bulldoze the federal structure," the Bengal Chief Minister said.She also highlighted the "contradictions" in the Centre's approach to tackling the outbreak.

Instead of shifting the onus on the states, the Centre should come out with a clear strategy on the way forward," she told the meeting.

9.        Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh pitched for the extension of the coronavirus lockdown, but with a carefully crafted exit strategy backed by economic empowerment of states to save lives and secure livelihood.

According to a release, he said the states should be given greater flexibility in micro-planning.

The chief minister said micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) should be allowed to function in red zones with proper safeguards.

10.    Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao urged PM Modi not to resume the passenger train services at this juncture, saying allowing them would lead to movement of people and pose problems in testing them for Covid-19 and quarantining.

11.     Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday favoured extending the COVID 19-induced lockdown till the end of May, underscoring that it would help the state bring under control the situation that has arisen with natives returning on a large scale.

12.    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisami and Telangana's Jagan Mohan Reddy asked PM Modi not to resume flights and trains this month. Tamil Nadu has the country's fourth highest coronavirus cases. Citing increasing Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday came out against resumption of passenger train and air services in the state till May 31 and sought more PCR kits from the Centre to ramp up the ongoing aggressive testing.

Also, he referred to the requests he had made during the earlier video conference interactions such as Rs 2,000 crore special grant to the state to enhance available medical equipment.

13.    Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy asked for normalcy at the earliest. He said the stigma associated with coronavirus patients needs to be fought and till this fear is not fought we cannot move ahead in this battle against coronavirus.

14.    Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said states face different challenges and therefore should be given the freedom to make reasonable changes to lockdown guidelines. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recommended that rail, road and air traffic be allowed with restrictions and metro travel be allowed in the least affected parts of the state. "The state government should be given adequate flexibility to allow public transport subject to virus protocols," Mr Vijayan said.

15.     Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested the launch of an employment guarantee scheme for urban areas on the lines of the MGNREGA. Gehlot said the lockdown has badly affected daily wagers due to which the Centre should come up with an employment generation scheme for the urban poor.

He said states should be given powers to decide coronavirus zones. The CM also demanded a financial package for industries and said the states' borrowing limit should be increased.

16.    Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant urged the Centre to lift curbs on inter-state public transport partially. He also demanded resumption of mining activity and tourism to kickstart the state economy.

17.     Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday raised the issue of financial distress being faced by his state due to the Covid-19 pandemic, seeking payment of GST compensation dues and allowing of special power to impose a tax on mining.

He asked increase wages and man-days under MGNREGA scheme by 50 per cent as it is the main thrust of the rural economy with stranded migrant workers returning to the state.

18.    Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu requested the Centre for TrueNat machines for quick Covid-19 testing as a large number of stranded people have begun returning to the northeastern state.

Khandu also urged PM Modi to continue facilitating investments in the Northeast so the region's economy is not compromised due to the pandemic.

19.    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat sought the Centre's permission to reopen residential schools and resumption of economic activities outside containment zones in the state.

The chief minister also suggested the resumption of economic activities outside containment zones and starting tourist activities in green zones of the state in a limited manner.

20.   Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said migrant workers coming to the state in huge numbers was a “challenge” for the government, but it was dealing with the issue effectively by launching a scheme of initiatives for them.

Commenting on the labour reforms adopted by the northern state, Adityanath said, "It was necessary to implement labour reforms. These will be implemented only where new units will be set up. Besides, it will also be applicable in those old units where new labourers are being employed.”

21.    Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan advocated a mixed approach in the next phase of lockdown with strict curbs in coronavirus- affected areas and relaxations in others with an aim to kickstart economic and business activities.

22.   Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday urged the Central government to authorize states to decide on their own to resume industrial and economic activities in green, orange, and red zones barring the containment zones.

Source: Indian Express/Indian Today/Press Release/Other Newspaper

DISCLAIMER: THE ARTICLE IS BASED ON THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS AND AS PER THE INFORMATION EXISTING AT THE TIME OF THE PREPARATION. IN NO EVENT I SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT AND INDIRECT RESULT FROM THIS ARTICLE. THIS IS ONLY A KNOWLEDGE SHARING INITIATIVE.

THE AUTHOR – CS DEEPAK SETH (ASSOCIATE PARTNER HELPINGHANDS PROFESSIONALS LLP) AND CAN BE REACHED AT CONTACTHHPRO@GMAIL.COM OR 9910248911.