An economic emergency prevails in Chhattisgarh, where two increments of employees have been withheld and a ban on new recruitment has been put in place in the name of fighting Covid-19, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh said on Sunday.
Now there is a plan to go for 30% curtailment of wages, Dr Singh said, adding that the Congress-led state government has failed in all sectors.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP Divisional Headquarters Ekatma Parisar, Dr Singh, who held the Finance portfolio for 15 years, said that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, to prove transparency, had declared the allocations and donations received in the CM Relief Fund.
But how much fund has been given to the quarantine centres, the BJP leader asked. A White Paper should be released on the expenses made by the state government during this period.
On the conditions in quarantine centres, he said the government has no strategic policy and snake bite deaths have been reported in some camps.
Asking who is responsible for these deaths, he said: "Action should be taken against the concerned District Collectors and administrative officials."
On the reported 80 deaths in Shramik trains, the former Chief Minister said: “The Centre’s responsibility was to provide trains on time. It was the responsibility of the state governments to ensure food packets to the workers. In times of such crisis, shortcomings from both sides can happen.”
He added that now people have to learn to live with coronavirus. Districts will no more face lockdown, he said, adding that if positive cases are found, the area will be declared a containment zone.
Earlier, he listed the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the first year of its second term. He said many decisions were taken on issues that had been bothering people for decades.
“Due to the timely steps taken by the Modi government to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, a country with 130 crore population has till date seen only 4,981 deaths which is 2.7% rate while other countries have higher rates,” Dr Singh said.