More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday pledged his support to the Union government in tackling the colossal humanitarian crisis unfolding due to the coronavirus pandemic, but said, in a letter to PM Modi, that the government should consider taking a more “nuanced and targeted approach to understanding the complex realities of our people.”In his missive to Modi, Gandhi called for the immediate strengthening of social safety nets, and said the government must prioritise protecting and isolating the elderly and the vulnerable. Anticipating an extension of the 21-day lockdown, the Congress leader also said the government must use every public resource to support and shelter the working poor to prevent their migration.The former Congress chief also batted for a focused approach to shore up defences to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “It is critical for us to understand that India’s conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who are following a total lockdown strategy. The number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is simply too large for us to unilaterally shut down all economic activity. The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the Covid-19 virus,” he said.Gandhi said the government should priorities protecting and isolating the elderly and vulnerable and said the youth should be sensitised, through dialogue, about the situation. “It is absolutely critical that we set up a defensive wall around our key financial and strategic institutions to protect them from the shock wave that is bound to come as the true impact of the virus and our economic shutdown hits us a few weeks from now,” Gandhi said, emphasising that India’s informal economy and the network of small and medium businesses and farmers will be “vital to any rebuilding effort”. “It is crucial that we engage them in a conversation, build their confidence and protect their interests with correct and timely action,” Gandhi said.Even as Congress roped in its own state units to help fight the coronavirus and organisation secretary KC Venugopal held meetings with chiefs of states and frontal organisations, Rahul urged Modi to ramp up India’s health infrastructure and build dedicated hospitals to deal with coronavirus cases. “Large population centres will require big dedicated hospitals with thousands of beds and ventilators. It is critical that we start setting up these structures and manufacturing the equipment that would be required, as fast as is humanly possible. At the same time we need to dramatically increase the number of tests that we are carrying out to get an accurate picture of the spread of the virus and to contain it,” he said in his letter.He also repeated his entreaty to the Modi government for direct cash transfers into their bank accounts of the migrant workers to help them tide over the next few months.