Covid-19: Naveen Patnaik urges PM to extend lockdown till April 30

BHUBANESWAR: Two days after Odisha becoming the first state in the country to extend lockdown till April 30, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the lockdown nationally till end of this month to check spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
As the Prime Minister held videoconferencing with all the CMs, the third since March 20, to discuss the strategy to deal with the pandemic, Naveen also suggested that the flight and train services should not start till April 30, said a communication from the chief minister’s office.
The move to suspend flight and train services is aimed to restrict movement of people, which the state government believes a vital step to end the chain of transmission.
Realising the importance of agriculture both in Odisha and in the country as well, Naveen urged the Prime Minister to ensure continuation of farming and allied activities including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by keeping the social distancing guidelines in mind.
Naveen’s cabinet has already taken a decision to allow farming activities in the state as the Kharif farming season would start in the state in April last week while the fact remains that around 70 per cent of state’s population depend on agriculture. The state government also decided to allow MGNREGS works to ensure jobs to rural population at this crisis time.
"Chief secretary Asit Tripathy has already informed the Centre about the above three points in a letter to Union Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on April 9. Extension of lockdown is essential to check spread of the pandemic. It’s a welcome move that the PM has consulted all states on the issue of extension of lockdown," said a senior state government official on the videoconferencing.
BJD leader in Lok Sabha Pinaki Mishra, during a videoconferencing with the PM on April 8, had also sought more leeway for states on issues related to lockdown.
The chief minister, among other issues, also highlighted the plights of the Odia migrant workers, who have been stranded in various states across the country due to the lockdown.
"People from odisha stranded in other states to be taken care by the concerned states. Our state will continue to coordinate," said Naveen during the videoconferencing.
Official estimates said around 1.5 lakh Odia migrant workers are stuck in different states mostly in states like Delhi, NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka due to the ongoing lockdown. The state government has set up a helpline to reach out to the migrant workers and to ensure basic needs to them.
Naveen’s request on welfare of stranded migrant workers assumes significance in the wake of the Surat incident on Friday as hundreds of migrant workers went on a rampage in the Gujarat city. Over 7 lakh Odia people mostly from undivided Ganjam districts have migrated to Surat to work in the textiles, chemicals and diamond cutting industries while many of them have also settled there.
"The chief minister didn’t raise any issue specific to the Surat incident to the VC," said an official.
While requesting the Prime Minister on welfare of the stranded Odia migrant workers, Naveen also assured that his government will continue to take care of workers from other states, who are stranded in different districts of the state.
The state government treats the migrant workers from other states as guest workers. Around 77,000 such guest workers have been accommodated in around 2532 transit camps in different districts by ensuring their basic needs like food and medical care. The state labour department has set up a special cell to carry out the task.