Jammu: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Wednesday hailed combine harvesters from Punjab reaching Jammu for harvesting the wheat crop as the farmers have been facing shortage of labour while the harvesting season at its peak. Due to the COVID -19 threat the farmers cannot use the labour in bulk for harvesting the crop this time. Now Administration should facilitate free movement of combine harvesters and other Farm machinery from outside the UT so that farmers can reap their yield on time. He also appealed the farmers to wear masks and maintain safe physical distancing while visiting farm fields. Farmers have heaved a sigh of relief after some combine harvesters reached their areas, asserted Bhalla.
Bhalla demanded Government of India and J&K Government to quickly make a concrete plans and allocate funds and distribution mechanism for underprivileged section of our society who will suffer the most during this period without any discrimination. We as citizens of this country who will survive through these times will never be able to forgive ourselves if we let large sections of our population die of hunger, lack of access to healthcare and other basic needs. Privileged or economically well off in our country will survive through this period by locking ourselves in our houses / apartments but their sufferings could be beyond imagination of the privileged of our country.
Meanwhile fulfilling duties and responsibilities of leader of poor and down-trodden in this hour of crisis, former Minister on Wednesday continued distributing Ration and other necessary items among needy and poor families of Gandhi Nagar Constituency at Balicharana, Doda Basti and Digiana Duni Chand Mohalla. Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla include Vijay Sharma Vice President Congress Seva Dal, Distt General Secretary DCC Aman Bawa, Suman Choudhary, Shashi Syal, Maghar Ram, Janak Raj, Inder Singh, Dara Singh, Rakesh Sharma, Munshi Thakur, Parvesh Sharma, Mohammad Abbas, Shehzaad Qazi, Rajinder Chauhan, Gopal Dass, Sunil Mehra beside others.
Bhalla said that a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contact of COVID-19 positive people, helped greatly in breaking the transmission and that’s why the death toll here is lower than other countries. Bhalla demanded sealing of all entry and exit points and asked the concerned to restrict the public movement so that the individuals coming from the affected areas can be restrained.Bhalla urged JKBOSE to take initiatives for providing educational facilities to the students of Jammu and Kashmir in view of the situation arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He suggested that Govt should promote on-line education as an integral part of the teaching-learning process in the country and also help UT in providing the tablets to the students for accessing the on line content. He said it will deepen the learning process in the country.
The Industry, Trade and Commerce of Jammu & Kashmir is presently facing its biggest and worst economic challenge with larger and combined effect from Aug-2019 lockdown and COVID-19 crisis. The cash inflows of industries have been affected from August-2019 and the situation is likely to stay that way for the financial year 2020-21. The small as well as the large businesses across the J&K are confronting extreme economic challenges as result of COVID19 Pandemic”, Bhalla said. He said that hotel Industry which was already on ventilator due to extension of train service from Jammu to Katra, is going to bear the brunt of COVID pandemic and ongoing lockdown for a longer time and even after lifting of lockdown, there is no imminent start up of international, national and local tourism. He further said that tourism fraternity i.e., hoteliers, travel agents, dhabawallas, dealers dealing in shawls and handicrafts, dry fruits, taxis and auto-rickshaws, etc which was already under financial stress has been further hit badly by Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown and its consequences will be worse in upcoming days with more challenges due to zero tourism in future.
Bhalla demanded Central Government to provide some relief package in terms of bank loan repayments and financial help to needy people and appealed the J&K Government to give special relief package for the revival and survival of tourism sector by waiving off electricity, water and municipal charges for at least one year since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and monthly financial assistance for the staff and interest free loans to tourist units for their sustenance. He further pleaded to formulate an effective policy to bring back the tourism industry to its original track and glory. He said section of the society has not been getting benefits of schemes of Central and State government including subsidized food grains, shelter and medical facilities except Corona treatment,” Bhalla said
Bhalla appealed Centre to consider the feasibility of ‘temporarily’ adopting the ‘one nation, one ration card’ scheme during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown period to enable the migrant workers and economically weaker sections (EWS) get subsidised foodgrain. He urged Govt to protect and safeguard right of migrant labourers /beneficiaries / citizens of other States/ UT/ tourists to get their entitlement of subsidized foodgrain and benefits of government scheme etc introduced during the epidemic of coronavirus and nationwide lockdown in the State / UTs even if they are not in their respective home State / Union Territory by way of a mandamus to the concerned authorities to temporarily adopt One Nation One Umbrella Policy during the epidemic of corona due to absence of scheme of One Nation One Rashan Card,” Bhalla said. He also sought direction to authorities for ensuring migrant labourers who are at present staying in rented premises or in transit camps do not go hungry for want of local identity cards or any identity cards.
Bhalla said that we can’t afford to neglect needy during the coronavirus outbreak, asking Govt to help out those affected the most by the pandemic.He said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that not a single citizen goes hungry. Government should go to each and every needy person’s house and provide them with ration,” he said. Bhalla demanded central government to announce a relief package for the “poorest of the poor” hit hard by the loss of jobs and income as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, a lump sum amount as cash transfer into the accounts of the needy. For the time being, the government’s first priority should be to help the weakest sections of society when businesses, large and small, and the middle class are clamouring for mega relief measures, suited to their needs, due to the significant economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
