The Government on Friday assured Parliament that there is no shortage of masks and hand sanitisers which are necessary preventive steps in the fight against coronavirus pandemic. This assertion came in the Rajya Sabha after some MPs drew the attention to reports of paucity of these items since the outbreak.
Allaying their apprehensions, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya said more than 100 manufacturing units all over the country were producing more than one and half crore masks every day. Therefore, fears about shortage were unfounded, he said. The minister also assured the Elders that there was no paucity of sanitisers.
In another coronavirus related issues figuring in the house, two MPs namely Satish Chandra Dubey and Kirodi Lal Meena(both BJP)sought immediate government intervention to bring back stranded students in Philipines.
The two MPs said more than 540 students including those from Bihar and Rajathan were stranded in Manila after an emergency was declared following coronavirus and flights were cancelled.
Earlier in the day, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu announced that Sukhendu Shekhar Roy(TMC) had sought permission of the house to remain absent and be self-quarantine due to coronavirus.
The House unanimously lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on Thursday urging people to unitedly fight the challenge of coronavirus. However, Anand Sharma(Congress)said the government by a notification had asked people above the age of 65 to remain at home but many MPs above this age were coming to Parliament. He wanted to know if Parliament was exempt from the government rules including imposition of section 144 and Epidemic Act.
Naidu and minister Piyush Goyal said essential services were exempted and Parliament was fulfilling its respponsbility of passing the budget. Moreover, functioning of Parliament sent a message to the nation that it was leading the nation from the front in the fight against coronavirus.