BENGALURU: Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday appealed to the Central government to announce the rent rebate scheme for the benefit of tenants in the wake of economic activities coming to a grinding halt due to COVID-19 related lockdown.In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy said people are facing difficulty in paying rent as usual and hence the rent rebate scheme should be initiated."Many countries have already announced rent rebate scheme for tenants during COVID19 emergency. It is surprising that Indian Govt has not announced any such relief even to residential tenants. I urge the PM to immediately come to the rescue of everyone living in rented housing," Kumaraswamy tweeted.He said a considerable workforce and students in metropolitan cities live in hostels and rented houses.As all economic activity has come to a grinding halt, it is very difficult for them to pay the rent as usual.The Prime Minister must announce rent rebate scheme, he added.Highlighting the plight of the tenants, Kumaraswamy said, "If the landlords insist on rent, the tenants cannot even go searching for new accommodation due to the emergency. Hence the government intervention is essential. The PM must announce a comprehensive national rent rebate scheme for COVID-19 emergency."