‘Time to fulfil your duties’: Sonia Gandhi to Centre, states on Covid crisis

Gandhi also said that it is time for the central government to build a political consensus and develop a national policy to tackle the pandemic.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday asked state governments and the Centre to wake up from their slumber and respond to the crisis brought forth by the second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). In a video message, she said that it is time for governments to fulfil their duties.

Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi speaks via video conferencing, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

Gandhi also said that it is time for the central government to build a political consensus and develop a national policy to tackle the pandemic. She also urged the Centre to vaccinate every citizen for free and asked the government to ramp up vaccine production to speed up the vaccination drive. Assuring co-operation of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi urged for strict action against black marketing of essential life-saving drugs, while highlighting the importance of testing.

She also urged the central government to provide financial assistance of ₹6,000 to every poor family in order to help them survive the second wave.

The Congress has set up control rooms to help people in distress and the move was approved by Sonia Gandhi last week to ensure better coordination between the party's state units about relief activities. She also asked Rae Bareli district magistrate last week to use the remaining amount of her MPLADS funds for helping out people suffering due to the pandemic.

India recorded a grim milestone on Saturday as it reported 401,993 fresh cases which took the cumulative caseload above 19,164,969. The death toll also inched towards 212,000 as 3,523 fresh fatalities took the toll to 211,853.