Himachal: CPI (M) holds stir, demands relief for people who lost jobs amid pandemic

CPI (M) has also sent a memorandum of demands to President Ramnath Kovind.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday staged a state-wide protest here and demanded the Union and state governments to provide relief to all the people who have lost their jobs and businesses due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

CPI (M) activists during their protest outside their state office in Shimla on Tuesday. (Deepak Sansta)

Theog legislator Rakesh Singha, CPI (M) leaders, farmers, workers, women, small businessmen, students and street vendors among others also participated in the protest.

CPI (M) has also sent a memorandum of demands to President Ramnath Kovind. These demands include, giving ₹7,500 per month to low-income families, 10kg per person for six months, implementation of employment guarantee scheme for poor people in living in urban areas, unemployment allowance, work to the jobless for at least 200 days under MGNREGA, stop on looting of national assets, privatisation of public section, abrogation of labour laws and Kissan Credit Card loan waiver up to ₹3,00,000.

Singha said due to the pandemic, farmers, workers, small businessmen, daily wage workers and employees were facing serious financial crisis as they lost their livelihoods.

He said Prime minister Narendra Modi-led central government has failed to overcome the crisis created by the pandemic as over 15 crore persons have lost their jobs and the government has not provided any relief to them instead is trying to benefit corporate houses by implementing neoliberal policies on the pretext of reforming the country.

The CPI (M) has warned the central and state governments of intensifying the movement if their demands are not fulfilled immediately.