PM’s meeting with CMs Set up group for coordinated Centre-state response to revive economy: Amarinder

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a group, which should include a few chief ministers, to discuss and

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a group, which should include a few chief ministers, to discuss and formulate a coordinated centre-state response to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the economy and governments across the country.

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Amarinder made the suggestion during a video conference held by the Prime Minister with the chief ministers of several states. The CM requested that the Centre should work closely with the states to ease the distress caused by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

Calling for urgent steps to mitigate Punjab’s financial stress, Amarinder said a detailed memorandum had already been sent to the Centre, listing out the impact of Covid-19 and also seeking fiscal and non-fiscal assistance. Even as he thanked the Prime Minister and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the release of GST payment of around ₹2,800 crore in early June, the CM said while he appreciated that the central government was also under financial stress, he had to request for release of the state’s pending share of taxes to tide over the fiscal crisis. “The crisis in Punjab is likely to be acute with a shortfall of ₹25,000-30,000 crore in revenue collection on various counts,” he said.

Pointing to the centre’s decision to allow reforms-linked increase in borrowing limits under FRBM Act from 3 to 5%, the chief minister requested the PM to relook at some of the conditionalities, given the situation on the ground. The borrowing was a loan that states have to repay and not a grant by GoI, he said.

‘PM TELLS STATES TO ADOPT PUNJAB’S COVID COMBAT MODEL’

The state government, in a statement, said that the Prime Minister appreciated Punjab’s Covid micro-containment and house-to-house surveillance strategy and asked all other states to adopt the model. The PM intervened as Amarinder was describing the state’s model to combat Covid, it said.

Amarinder said the state government was working on a multi-pronged strategy to fight the pandemic. The focus was currently on micro-containment strategy to isolate small mohallas or village wards rather than close down larger areas, he said, adding that a special app had also been launched for house-to-house surveillance to detect any possible cases and persons with co-morbidities to catch high-risk patients early.

The CM also emphasised the need for more tests, requesting the PM to direct GoI institutions in Chandigarh and Punjab to increase testing capacity. On the state’s preparedness to tackle further spread of the pandemic, he informed the meeting that 5,000 isolation beds were ready in government Level 2 and 3 facilities, in addition to 10-15,000 beds in Level 1 covid care centres for mild patients. “These Level 1 beds can be scaled to 30,000, if the need arises,” he said, adding, “For tertiary level care, the state government has also secured the participation of private hospitals”.