New Delhi: Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states in a meeting with the party’s interim president, Sonia Gandhi, have said that states need to be given immediate financial support as they have lost crores of rupees revenue due to the Corona crisis. The Corona crisis and the post-lockdown situation were discussed in this meeting, conducted via video conferencing. Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting.
In the meeting, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the states need a relief package as they have already lost crores of rupees. He said that if a big relief package is not given, then how can the state and the country run. We have lost Rs 10,000 crore of revenue. States are constantly demanding a package from the Prime Minister but so far the Center has not given any positive response.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel demanded immediate financial assistance from the Central Government. He said that serious economic crisis has been faced by the states. In Chhattisgarh, 80 percent of small and medium industries have been revived and 85,000 workers have returned to work.
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram claimed that the BJP’s central government was not allocating funds despite the financial crisis. He said that there are constant reports that the states are in a very financial situation but the Center is not helping them.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh questioned the process of classification of various zones. He said that we have formed two committees to form a strategy to get out of the lockdown and to start economic activities. But the problem is with the people sitting in Delhi who are categorizing the zones without understanding the ground reality. The Chief Minister of Puducherry also did not consult the states for the classification of zones.
