As the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country breaches the 1000-mark, the country has come to a standstill.
Several underprivileged families reeling from poverty and hunger have been majorly affected. The country’s migrant workers due to the suspension of transport and work, decided to reach their home towns and villages on foot amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown.
As a part of relief measures to the poor and the needy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a whopping Rs 1.70 lakh crore PM Garieeb Kalyan Scheme for those who need urgent help in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
As many as 80 crore poor people are expected to benefit with the 5 kg of rice or wheat in addition to the existing 5 kg grain. The FM also announced Rs 50 lakh health insurance for 3 months for each individual health worker who has been actively fighting the battle against coronavirus.
Amid all the relief measures, the government clearly left out the welfare of migrant workers and daily wage workers.
The country witnessed a mass exodus of workers from large cities.
Images and videos showed bus stations flooded with workers and labourers, prompting netizens to urge the central and state governments to step up for their food, safety and shelter at a time when all modes of transport have been called off.
One of the request that garnered a lot of appreciation was from a class 10 student, Abhinav Sharma who wrote a letter to PM Modi, asking him to make it mandatory for religious trusts to donate 80% of their funds to the PM relief fund.
‘This health emergency will surely lead to a financial emergency due to which labourers would be on the verge of starvation. I, therefore, request you to kindly make it mandatory for all religious trusts, irrespective of their religion, to donate 80% amount of ‘God’s wealth’ to the country by giving this to the PM relief fund,’ Abhinav wrote in the letter.
The 15-year-old boy is from Dehradun and says if religious trusts can extend financial help, our country will not require or borrow any emergency funds to tackle the spread and effect of the current health crisis.
‘When I saw our PM folding hands and requesting the nation, I realised our religious trusts have a lot of money. If Church, Mandir, Gurudwara, and Masjid trusts can donate money, it will be of great help to the poor,’ Abhinav said in an interview with Times Now.
He said that if coronavirus reaches stage IV in India, businesses will be lost forever and poor people will have nothing to eat and eventually die.
‘Number of people would be on the verge of starvation. Later, this lockdown will lead to scarcity of government funds and affect the lower middle class and middle class badly,’ Abhinav added.
