Challenging situation for every segment of society, irrespective of age, gender and economic status
Jammu: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Sunday referring to the miseries of daily earners, labourers and other poor sections of society urged Administration to ensure that the benefits announced by the administration reach everyone. “We have to ensure that nobody sleeps hungry or struggles for medical attention”, he said, hoping that the hardships of commoners would be taken up with concerned agencies and action taken monitored. Though some initiatives have already put in place yet more is needed to be done, keeping in view the magnitude of the problem, he added. Bhalla shared the concern of the district presidents about impediments being faced by students pursuing online academics due to slow internet speed and hoped that the administration will take a call on this issue in the larger interest of the student community. He reiterated that necessary checks and balances can be put in place to check misuse of 4G internet, saying denial of the facility is not justified if the administration is really serious about education of students
Bhalla appealed J&K Govt to give permission to private vehicles for ferrying migrant labourers to their native places during the lockdown. The ongoing lockdown which has mostly restricted the movement of vehicles to essential commodities only, the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway has become a nightmare for the commuters due to the pathetic condition of the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.”The lockdown not only closed the hotels, restaurants and eateries but also the washrooms en route. One finds it very difficult to find a facility to ease oneself ,” he said.However, the highway project has already missed a number of deadlines due to sluggish pace of work, while fresh deadlines have been set for the completion of work on Nashri-Ramban and Ramban-Banihal-Qazigund sectors which also include several key tunnels including the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, between December 2020 and 2021.traffic jams have become a routine affair for the commuters travelling on the highway even as the movement of the traffic was restricted to one-way, playing alternatively from Srinagar and Jammu, over the past two years.
Former Minister urged Administration to put in place advance arrangements for proper availability of power, drinking water, essential supplies, sanitation and other arrangements to effectively face Covid-19 lockdown. He demanded Govt to ensure complete synergy between the civil administrations, Police so that people do not face any inconvenience. He also urged district administrations across J&K to remain alert and cautious and do not allow any anti-social element to create any law and order issue. He also demanded uninterrupted supply of drinking water, power, essential commodities be made available to consumers without any difficulty. Govt must take care of completion of languishing projects, expeditious completion of works under ongoing centrally sponsored schemes, augmentation of central workshop/ creation of new workshops, distribution network, overloaded and inadequate power distribution.
Former Minister claimed that urban poor in Jammu are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic due to loss of income coupled with dismal living conditions . The nation-wide lockdown has put lakhs of daily wage earners like ragpickers, maids, street vendors, construction workers and others working in the unorganised sector into peril. The effect of this lockdown and of the spread of the virus is devastating for slum dwellers. From no jobs and lack of food to no social distancing due to the dire living conditions, the urban poor of J&K are facing it all. Bhalla asking Govt to work for the rights of the daily wage workers and urban poor, emphasized the lack of accessibility to proper food. Being on the ground every day, raising awareness and distributing food to hundreds of homeless people and slum dwellers, Bhalla revealed that people are struggling to survive the lockdown are panicked about their future, their next meal, health and future of their children and keeping themselves safe from the virus, he said.Providing food like this is a huge help right now but in the coming days, the focus needs to be given on distributing dry ration to people at their door-step. By ration, let’s not just be limited to providing rice and wheat, there is a need to add pulses, cooking oil, salt and sugar also in the monthly quota.
Meanwhile fulfilling duties and responsibilities of leader of poor and down-trodden in this hour of crisis, former Minister on Sunday continued distributing Ration and other necessary items among needy and poor families of Gandhi Nagar Constituency at Bahu Fort, Gorkha Nagar, in Kalika Colony Ward 48.Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla include IYC Secretary Latish Sharma, DCC General Secretary Urban Aman Bawa, DCC General Secretary Urban Jatin Vashisht, Rahul Salhotra, Sanjay Gupta Murli Satish Kumar, Ankush Sharma, Rohit Bhagat, Mulakh Raj, Dewan Chand, Chman Lal, Chet Ram beside others
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that while the whole world is facing the challenge of COVID-19 and we all understand that the only possible solution for now is to break the chain to stop spreading the infection through Social Distancing. While we as a country are taking these actions in the interest of each & every citizen. However at the same time we need to think about poorest of the poor people of our country, especially Daily Wagers who survive and live hand to mouth. 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.
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.
Keeping the poor and vulnerable safe is a matter of responsibility for the Govt and the private sector, not an act of charity. In this regard, a clear distinction in the provision of aid for the urban and the rural poor must be made so that resources are better allocated amongst the poor. The time has come for the government to revive vital functions of the welfare state. And, it needs to minimise the concentration of power at the Centre in the name of maximum governance and maximise aid to the poor and vulnerable, instead of minimising government, Bhalla added.
Further highlighting the plight of the urban poor, Bhalla said that the slums they are living in with big families are densely populated neighbourhoods – often sharing one room and one bathroom which creates ideal conditions for disease transmission and leaves no opportunities of practising ‘social distancing’, he said,Once the virus reaches the slums, it could be like wildfire and will spread through the community. To ensure regular access to cooked food to homeless and distressed people amid the lockdown, the Government should take up some measures under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act. Almost one in four children living under COVID-19 lockdowns, social restrictions and school closures are dealing with feelings of anxiety, with many at risk of lasting psychological distress, including depression.This leaves children and youth who are already at risk—such as those living in challenging home environments or children who are lacking social support or whose families are already facing poverty —especially vulnerable.Former Minister claimed that feelings of helplessness, loneliness and fear of being socially excluded, stigmatised or separated from loved ones are common in any epidemic, while prolonged stress, boredom and social isolation, as well as a lack of outdoor play, can lead to a higher number of mental health conditions in children, such as anxiety and even depression.
