Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it must be ensured that "no one faces hunger" because of the coronavirus lockdown.
While she welcomed the Centre's decision to provide grain at low prices, she urged that the scheme should be extended till September "given the chronic economic distress".
Her party colleague, former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, suggested that the Centre should remove COVID-19 lockdown in a phase-wise manner and pointed out that there is a necessity to start the economic activity in the country.
"I hope this letter finds you well. Lakhs of vulnerable people across the country face chronic food insecurity due to the lockdown. This is tragic given that India has large buffer stock of food grains precisely for exigencies like the current pandemic," she said.
"I welcome your decision to provide free of cost, 5kg grain/person in addition to the entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from April-June, 2020. However, given the adverse impact of the lockdown and its prolonged impact of people's livelihoods, I write to you to consider a few suggestions," she added.
At a Press conference, Sharma said the lockdown should be lifted in a staggered manner.
"The economy of the country was already in poor condition and after the coronavirus outbreak the crisis has deepened. So it is necessary for the Prime Minister to remove lockdown in a phase-wise manner by making a policy framework. It is necessary to start the economic activity in the country," Sharma said at a video conference AICC briefing.
"For the MSME sector, it is important that the government enables the movement of trucks laden with goods. The MSMEs should be given loans at zero per cent interest rate," he said.
"Farmers' produce should be purchased on district and sub-division level. As per the report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 40 crore labourers may go below the poverty line, so the government should review its fiscal policy," the senior Congress leader said.
He said that the Government should allow CSR money to be donated to Chief Minister's Relief Fund amid the COVID-19 pandemic.