KPCC working president and senior leader Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday alleged that the State Government had not been extending any support or service to lakhs of people who are infected with COVID-19 and are under home isolation.
More than 3.2 lakh people in the State, including 1.51 lakh people in Bengaluru city, were under home isolation following mild symptoms of COVID-19. The Government had provided neither health kits nor food kits for people under home isolation, he alleged.
At a press conference here, Mr. Reddy demanded that the Government provide health kits and free food items for two months to ensure the early recovery of infected persons. Though the COVID-19 third wave started many days ago, the Government had not made any arrangements for providing relief to the infected people, particularly those in the unorganised sector, he alleged.
Only 5% of the families that lost their members or relatives to COVID-19 had been given ₹50,000 compensation. Though more than three lakh people succumbed to the infection in the State, the Government followed ICMR guidelines and provided compensation only to 5% of the families who had lost their earning members, he said.
Similarly, only 7% of the families in the unorganised sector received compensation for loss of business owing to lockdown in the last two years. A large number of autorickshaw drivers, street vendors, and construction workers had not been provided relief by the Government, Mr. Reddy alleged.
The Centre had announced ₹20 lakh crore relief last year. “But I don’t know who benefited from such a large package,” he said.
‘To scuttle padayatra’
The Congress leader pointed out that the Government relaxed weekend curfew when COVID-19 cases wererising in the State. The weekend lockdown was deliberately imposed to scuttle the padayatra of the Congress undertaken to pressure the State Government to take steps for implementing the Mekedatu project, he alleged.
