‘Surge in Covid-19 cases in Himachal but not at the pace as in other states’: CM

Himachal CM Jairam Thakur said he has decided to chase the virus.

Updated on: Jun 21, 2020, 11:43:48 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Chetan Chauhan

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Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur is facing the twin challenges of battling the Covid-19 pandemic and bickering within the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In an interview with Chetan Chauhan, Thakur spoke about how the state has kept the Covid-19 numbers low and his plans to revive the economy. He also said an alleged fraud in the purchase of medical equipment, which prompted Himachal BJP president Rajeev Bindal to resign in May, had been dealt with sternly. Edited excerpts:

Himachal Pradesh CM is facing multiple challenges arising from the pandemic and as well as within his party. (HT Archive)

How has Himachal dealt with Covid-19?

A: In Himachal, corona has increased but not at the pace as in other states. In Himachal, we continued with curfew to explain to people in simple terms that they don’t have to go out. Lockdown, for some people, meant that they can go out. Strict implementation helped as it did not allow spread of Covid till Tablighi Jamaat attendees returned from {a religious congregation in} New Delhi in April first week. Despite that, management within the state was so good that we didn’t allow the cases to increase. We decided to chase the virus and not allowed the virus to chase us. We formed a team of 16,000 personnel, who went to all 70 lakh homes, and took health details of all. We now have a health profile off every home in the state.

So why has the number of cases increased to about 615?

A. When Himachalis from other states start returning in May, cases increased. On May 1, we had one Covid positive case. When the PM held a video conference with all CMs, he told all of us to ensure that migrants are able to return home safely. We brought back people from across India and students from Kota{coaching schools} also came back. Now there are 615 cases. We have a mechanism to ensure every returnee is kept in institutional quarantine and is tested. The village committees are vigilant and report if someone fails to report his or her return.

Watch | Covid & bickering within BJP: Himachal CM Jairam Thakur faces twin battle

PM has spoken about unlock norms. In Himachal, tourism and horticulture are two important cogs of the state’s economy. How do you plan to revive them?

A. Tourism in Himachal and the entire world is badly affected. Nowhere are people eager to travel and I don’t see a quick tourism revival. Although we are getting calls that people want to come to Himachal, we have not given a relaxation in unlock norms, as Covid cases are still high outside Himachal. We decided to wait. In coming times, we would be developing Himachal Pradesh as a safe wellness destination for tourists. I foresee, a lot of changes in the tourism sector as Covid is not going to disappear one fine day. Our people have suffered as 55,000 people are directly employed and lakhs are indirectly employed {in tourism}. Home stay is a big income source, which is gone. The situation is worrisome.

What are your plans for horticulture?

A. Horticulture sector has been affected. Cherry season went well; we planned marketing and farmers did not lose much. Apple season, which is ₹4,000 to 4,500 crore economy, has three important components --- packaging material, marketing and labour. We have started factories and are arranging for 2.5 crore apple packaging boxes. For selling, there can be an issue if Azadpur market (in New Delhi) closes because of Covid. We have raised the issue with the PM and are working on the alternatives. Third is labour, most of which comes from Nepal. Nepalese workers go back to their homes in November-December, and return to Himachal in April-May. This year, many have not come back because of the lockdown. Now, we have border issues with Nepal, and China (the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control) has also happened. I have written to the external affairs and home ministry to allow Nepalese labour to come {back}. As an alternative, we are getting workers from Haryana, UP and Bihar. On the positive side, we are expecting a good market for apples, as there would be less imports of apples from China and the US this year.

Former BJP state president Rajeev Bindal had to resign because of the alleged scam in purchase of personal protection equipment kits, which is said to be a result of internal bickering.

A. It is not a big scam. We are trying to save every person and people have suffered because of Covid. In this, if someone tries to steal, there cannot be a bigger sin than that. Party president (Bindal) is not directly involved in the scam (of purchase of PPE kits). The issue was that the director of health, who seemed to be seeking money (for award of PPE kit contracts) is considered close to him. When the opposition raised the issue, he (Bindal) resigned on moral grounds. The day the audio (of a conversation between the health director and a company functionary) went viral, we arrested the director and his accomplice has also been arrested. Although they are on bail now, we have taken immediate action and suspended the director, health. I have been in the Vidhan Sabha for 25 years and we have been raising several such issues when Congress was in power but no one was arrested, no action was taken and there was only a promise of an inquiry. We have conducted and inquiry and have taken the best possible action. I don’t want to go into corruption of crore of rupees during the Congress rule.

There are three vacant positions in your Cabinet. When do you plan to fill them?

A. That keeps on happening in several states. Three positions are vacant and the government is running well. We have asked the party high command to tell us the appropriate time to fill these posts. When we get the permission, we will fill them. It is not a big issue.

How does Himachal plan to implement the Unlock phase?

A. Finances of many states are in a bad shape. Himachal finances depend totally on the Centre’s assistance. In Unlock Phase 1, we have {offered some} relaxations and started public transport, whose occupancy is increasing. Markets have opened, but only 30% of the business is happening. Industries have resumed operations at about 60%. Pharma sector is running at 70-80% and companies are providing hydorocholoroquine and other medicines for Covid warriors across India and abroad. To revive the state’s economy, we have reduced expenditure especially by cutting down on food subsidy to income tax payees for a year. We will use Rs 12,000 crore unspent funds of departments for carrying out development activities such as building roads, ensuring water supply and other works. We have not cut salaries of employees and I expect revenue to improve in the coming months.

EOM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is the National Affairs Editor looking into all aspects of news and features from across India. A Chevening scholar with over three decades of experience in reporting and news management, Chetan has extensively covered all important aspects of the social sector, political economy, environment and climate change nationally and internationally. He did a journalism course at the Reuters Institute of Journalism in Oxford and Digital Media training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He started as a reporter with The Statesman in 1996 and joined the Hindustan Times in 2000 in the metro bureau covering environment, crime and Delhi politics. He covered hot local news, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the rebellion of Delhi Congress MLAs against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to the replacement of toxic vehicle fuel with cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) in the national capital. Some of his stories on air pollution became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark MC Mehta versus Government of India case in the National Capital Region (NCR), forcing the government to take corrective measures. As part of the national political bureau since 2004, he covered important central sectors such as environment, education, social justice, labour, rural development, water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, broadcasting and the Planning Commission for more than a decade producing several exclusive and investigative breaking stories. His specialisation is the environment, having covered at least a dozen United Nations global conferences on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife including climate summits in Paris, Copenhagen and Bali. He also covered India’s two five-year plans ---11th and 12th and reported on drafting and execution of right based laws such as Right to Education, Right to Information and rural job guarantee law, MG-NREGA, now being introduced in new format as VG-RAM-G Act. He has in-depth knowledge of social sector issues. He was one of the first to report on tigers vanishing from Sariska and Panna wildlife reserves in 2004 and 2008, respectively, leading to the setting up of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the introduction of stringent penal provisions for poaching. He has written extensively on the rising human-animal conflict in India and the degradation of India’s biodiversity hotspots because of mining and other activities. Since 2004, Chetan has covered Parliament comprehensively and participated in training on the nuanced coverage of Parliament proceedings. He has travelled extensively across India to cover national and provincial elections since 1998, especially in the Hindi heartland states, considered India’s road to power. He writes a regular column for Hindustan Times, Ecostani, on important national politics, economy, Himalayan ecology and environmental issues. His other responsibilities include providing inputs for edits and edit page articles for the publication, apart from managing news flow from across India.Read More

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