Gujarat Congress leaders onTuesday met Governor Acharya Devvrat and sought his intervention in getting the state BJP government to announce relief measures for the poor and farmers affected by the lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak.The Congress delegation was led by state unit chief Amit Chavda and Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.While the state government has announced free ration to 65.40 lakh families covered under the Food Security Act, the Congress demanded even APL ration cardholders, who are not covered, be given free ration for the month of April, as they too have been hit by the lockdown."We have also urged the governor to make sure the BJP government provides free meals and cash doles for a period of three months to the poor to help them meet daily expenses," Chavda told reporters.It also demanded that the Vijay Rupani government ease restrictions on sale and transportation of agricultural produce to help farmers, and allow agro processing units and cotton ginning mills to resume operations.In a jibe at the BJP, the Congress said instead of relying on 'taali and thaali' (claps and clanging utensils), the government should provide N95 masks and personal protection equipment kits to doctors and other health workers.
