Rajasthan deputy CM

says coming days will be decisive in the battle against

. In a conversation with TOI’s

Subodh Ghildiyal

, he says the Centre should help the states financially. Excerpts:

Q: Rajasthan has been seriously affected by coronavirus. Where do you think the fight has reached?

Q: Amid the fight against virus, reports of attacks on health workers appear a concern for states?

Q: The states have been asking for help from the Centre. What are your expectations?

Q: Congress and opposition parties have criticised the BJP government’s response to the crisis?

Q: What is the special care Rajasthan has taken in the fight against coronavirus?

A: The coming 8-10 days are absolutely critical. It is a race against time. If the virus spirals out, it may be too late. If we are able to contain the virus in the identified hotspots, it would be a success. We know the troubled areas and we have to deploy our resources in a much more focused fashion in geographically-specific areas.A: Health workers are our front-line warriors who are knowingly risking their lives and going out to treat people. They deserve not only our gratitude but we should be indebted to them for life. The instances of attacks and heckling are unacceptable and disturbing. The virus does not discriminate between people on the basis of religion or community. It is unbecoming of anybody to indulge in this despicable behaviour. Whoever is responsible should be taken to task.A: Even before the endemic broke out, the Centre owed Rajasthan Rs 11,000 crore. Since then, the Centre has also announced a package but it has not given anything to states to deal with the problem. This fight is going to be here for a while and a dedicated financial assistance should be given to affected states. It is the states which are dealing with the problem. That help has not been forthcoming.A: This is one the biggest challenges of our time. We have to face it as a nation together. But perhaps, a little more planning for those at the bottom of the pyramid – the daily wage-earners -- would have been a much better way to go about it. Our priority should have been that no one goes hungry in the country. That did not happen. Otherwise, there would not have been so much displacement.A: Focus of this fight has been on large and small cities but I have tried to take resources of the government to the 11,000 gram panchayats here. My ministry allocated Rs 50,000 to each panchayat to buy hand sanitisers and masks. It was designed to stop the rush to cities to buy these items amid news of black marketing and hoarding. We made sodium hypochloride spray compulsory in every panchayat. Also, rural development department released Rs 840 crore for MGNREGA to provide disposable income in the hands of the poorest. The “village sanitation committees” were activated on March 22. The idea is that government support should make every person in village feel protected.