Congress Leader Tarun Gogoi Demands Govt to Supply Frontline Health Workers with PPE Kits

Dispur, April 9, 2020:

3-time former Chief Minister of Assam and veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi, weighing in on the corona crisis, has said that the current administration has been a "failure" in certain regards while addressing concerns of those suffering because of the outbreak of the coronavirus. Gogoi has also called upon the Government to supply health workers with adequate protective equipment and meet the demands.

Gogoi, in a video transmission that was posted on social media earlier today, has urged that the doctors and nurses be given protective PPE kits to safeguard them in their fight against the COVID-19. The Congress leader's demand has been made in the wake of allegations that there is a shortage of PPE kits in the country; as of now, India as 150 seam sealing machines which can produce 30,000 suits per day, while the actual need has been cited at producing 1 lakh suits per day.

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Gogoi also complained that the poor continue to suffer amid the lockdown woes. "Because measures are not being taken, the poor people are not seeing an end to their woes. The farmers' produce has been wasted and they are not getting the income they should. Their produce has rotten away, leaving them in a quandary", said Gogoi.

Similarly, the daily wage labourers are also suffering, said Gogoi, further exhorting the Governmment to help them. "Like we took care of people during floods, the Government should do the same."

The veteran leader also called for an all-party meet, and cautioned that lakhs could be pushed towards an untimely death if the multitudes continue staring at starvation due to the lockdown that has been imposed to contain the virus.

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"If they are to solve the -- farming, animal husbandry, and others, they are a failure in taking care of these departments. They must come up with a scheme to ameliorate these problems", said Gogoi. The veteran Congress leader also urged the Government to initiate an "action-plan" in order to deal with the COVID-19 on a war footing.

It may be mentioned here that a total of 5734 confirmed cases have been reported in the country with 549 new cases and 17 fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 169.

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