: Apparently indicating support to
continuing curbs beyond April 14, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Saturday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that train and flight services should not be resumed and stressed the importance of smooth supply of essential commodities.
In a meet via a video link with Modi to discuss the COVID-19 situation, Palaniswami sought two lakh test kits from the Centre, additional funding to aid unorganised sector workers and farm labourers, besides Rs 2,000 to each of their families if the lockdown is to be extended by the Centre.
He wanted the Centre to announce a special package for agriculture and horticulture promotion.
"Train and flight services should not be resumed.I appeal to the Prime Minister and other Chief Ministers not to allow inter State passengers movement," an official release quoted him as saying.
Smooth supply of essential commodities like dhal and spices from other states through railways and inter-State movement of these goods through lorries should be ensured, he said.
"If the lockdown is extended,I request additional funding as well as allotment of essential commodities to support the unorganised sector workers and agricultural labourers. They may be provided 2,000 rupees per family."|
Noting that Tamil Nadu as on date had 911 positive cases, he said "testing of the contacts has to be done immediately for which I require rapid test kits.
I have written to the Union Health Minister to provide two lakh test kits to Tamil Nadu."
Palaniswami said so far 8,410 samples have been tested, and 1,891 people have been isolated.
Though Tamil Nadu has faced many natural disasters continuously like the three cyclones between 2016 and 2018, besides a severe drought, it still got lesser allocation under the State Disaster Relief Fund, he said and requested an adhoc Rs 1,000 crore grant from the National Disaster Relief Fund immediately to procure medical and protective material.
Thanking the Centre for Rs 510 crore grant under SDRF, he said the 15th Finance Commission methodology has resulted in Tamil Nadu getting only 64.65 per cent increase under the SDRF, while it is 120.33 per cent for other states.
The Chief Mininster batted for Rs 9,000 crore grant for launching a comprehensive plan to combat COVID-19 and its aftermath on the States economy,Rs 3,000 crore towards buying ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment and N-95 masks, and wanted the Centre to supply polymerase chain reaction and rapid test kits.
Also, he reiterated a number of measures like nod for additional borrowing of 33 per cent above the permitted level for fiscal year 2019-20 may be allowed for 2020-21 for combating the pandemic.
Presently the State has 12 government facilities and seven private labs for COVID-19 testing and this needed to be increased by having atleast one lab per district, he said.
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