Shri Rahul Gandhi's Efforts to Fight Coronavirus

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02 Jul 2020

Shri Rahul Gandhi's Efforts to Fight Coronavirus

The BJP government has failed to control the coronavirus spread in India, and has also not been able to address the needs of the people. With the second highest coronavirus cases and third highest deaths due to coronavirus in the world, the Indian people have lost faith in the ruling government.

As people across the country face many economic and social problems due to COVID-19, Shri Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a beacon of hope. From helping migrant workers reach home, allocating his MPLADS funds for Covid-19 related projects to conversing with experts on the crisis and holding press conferences to answer people’s questions, Shri Rahul Gandhi has shown the way in the fight against the coronavirus.

Shri Rahul Gandhi’s Contributions During the Pandemic

Shri Rahul Gandhi strongly advocated for the rights of migrant workers suffering under the unplanned lockdown by the Modi government. He attacked Prime Minister Modi on his mismanagement in this regard several times. Shri Gandhi demanded Rs. 7,500 direct cash transfers in the accounts of the poor. He also attacked the Centre on its lack of data on migrants’ deaths and on their inability to pay the railway fare for the migrant workers to reach back to their villages. Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi also announced that the party will bear the cost of the train tickets for their journey.
Rahul Gandhi released a sum of Rs 2.66 crore from his Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) funds for the purchase of ventilators, testing kits, personal protection equipment (PPEs) and other medical tools to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Other Congress leaders like AK Antony and Shashi Tharoor also followed his footsteps.
On former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary, the Congress unveiled the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana (RGKNY), which was implemented by the Bhupesh Baghel government in Chhattisgarh. The Nyay scheme which was announced by Shri Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha election, was implemented in Chhattisgarh on 21st June, 2020. Under the scheme, up to Rs 10,000 per acre a year will be transferred into the bank accounts of farmers. The state has provisioned Rs 5,750 crore for the scheme. A much needed scheme, especially during the pandemic, it relieved many farmers of the economic hardships they’re going through. In such difficult situations, Shri Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay scheme is relevant with its goal of “transfer cash not loans.”
Rahul Gandhi attacked the government several times on the spread of the coronavirus. Even before the pandemic spread in India, as early as February 12, 2020 he warned the nation of the danger of coronavirus and urged the government to take timely action. On March 17, 2020, he alerted the government that a major economic tsunami would sweep India if they didn't take steps to safeguard it. At other times, Shri Gandhi urged the government to increase testing so as to limit the spread and apprised them that the lockdown was not a permanent solution. The Modi government should have listened to him as each of his predictions came true.
The party suggested a five-point MSME package to help India's 6.33 crore micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) employing more than 11 crore people tide over the negative impact of novel coronavirus-related disruption in their businesses and revenue losses.

Rahul Gandhi’s Work Towards Wayanad During Covid - 19 Pandemic

Started projects worth Rs. 2.70 Cr to contain Covid-19 with MPLADS funds
Distributed 50 Thermal Scanners, 20000 masks and 1000 liters of sanitizer
Distributed 28000 kgs rice & 5600 kgs of pulses
Provided 350 smart TVs to children deprived of online studies
Provided one time medical assistance of Rs.28 lakhs to 1000 kidney & liver patients
Intervened to bring back keralites stranded in different parts of the country
Wrote a letter to the Chief Minister demanding that the 'First Bell' digital learning be made available to tribal students in Wayanad. A letter to the district collector for information on the study materials & essential assistance will be provided.

Suggestions for the BJP Government

Not loans, give Rs. 7,500 direct transfert to the poor.
Strengthen the social safety net and use of every public resource to support and shelter the working poor as the sudden lockdown had created immense panic and confusion.
Help migrants with shelter and provide them with money directly into their bank accounts to help them tide over the next few months.
To protect and isolate the elderly and vulnerable from the virus and to clearly and strongly communicate to the young the dangers of proximity to older people.
Engage MSME’s in a conversation, build their confidence and protect their interests with correct and timely action.
Set up COVID-19 MSME corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore.
Extend soft loans with 50% government guarantee for affected sectors.
Provide wage subsidy to employers including input tax credit.
Provide an option to defer tax payments by six months.
Extend permission for delayed GST payments, without levy of interest, late fees or penalties, to all statutory payments.
Higher stimulus package for worst-hit sectors.
To set up big dedicated hospitals with thousands of beds and ventilators.
Increase the number of tests that we are carrying out to get an accurate picture of the spread of the virus. Conduct coronavirus testing aggressively and strategically. To provide food to all the poor.

Interviews and Interactions with Experts

During the pandemic, Shri Rahul Gandhi has been in talks with various experts on how to tackle the coronavirus in India. With an educated overview and an intellectual debate, Mr. Gandhi has had many interactions that provide an overview of the situation India is facing and how to overcome it.