Ajit Pawar indicates Covid cases may surge in July, August

Deputy chief minister (DyCM) Ajit Pawar on Tuesday indicated that there could be a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in July and August. He also urged people to be cautious

Deputy chief minister (DyCM) Ajit Pawar on Tuesday indicated that there could be a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in July and August. He also urged people to be cautious while stepping out of their homes as not following social distancing norms could lead to more trouble.

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“It’s been more than three months since the pandemic hit Maharashtra. July and August are likely to be more difficult. If people don’t take enough precautions, we will be inviting more trouble. I appeal to the public to follow all norms such as wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, etc. We will have to face the consequences if there’s any laxity,” said Pawar while addressing media persons at the headquarters of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in south Mumbai.

Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of Covid-19 positive cases and deaths in the country at 1,35,796 and 6,283 respectively.

Pawar also said that the government has launched a probe into the complaints of missing Covid-19 patients in Mumbai. “Following complaints, an investigation has been started. Data with government hospitals is easily available but Mumbai is a big city and also has lots of private hospitals. They are supposed to share this data, which sometimes is not done,” he said.

“Action must be initiated against such a country [China]. I would urge the public to boycott goods manufactured by Chinese firms. China will be shown its place if India, a country with a population of over 125 crore, starts boycotting Chinese goods,” said Pawar, who holds the finance ministry portfolio in the Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government.

On Monday, Maharashtra industries minister Subhash Desai had said in a statement that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – a three-party coalition government comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress – has decided to temporarily put on hold the memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth ₹5,020 crore recently signed with three Chinese companies.

The MoUs, worth ₹5,020 crore, were signed with Hengli Group (₹250 crore), Great Wall Motors (₹3,770 crore) and PMI Electro Mobility Solutions, a joint venture with Foton (₹1,000 crore).

“We have decided to put the MoUs signed with the three Chinese firms, worth ₹5,020 crore, on hold. However, this doesn’t mean they have been cancelled. We will be waiting for a clear policy from the Central government on this issue,” Desai had said.