Press Release
Rajakhet, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, 23 March 2020: The India Greens Party (IGP) has formed the “COVID-19 Task Force” to spread awareness about Corona virus and persuade people to practice social distancing and personal hygiene so that the disease can be contained from spreading.
The party, in its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on Sunday 22 March, discussed Corona virus and its impact on society, ecology-environment and economy and decided to form the COVID-19 Task Force as solidarity is the key to defeating the virus — solidarity among societies, solidarity among different age groups and solidarity among countries.
In a press release issued on Monday 23 March, the party President Suresh Nautiyal said the governments are required to find mechanisms to stop rumours and create an environment where people look forward to science, technology and medical research for a long-lasting solution.
He said the party’s COVID-19 Task Force is headed by Dr Apeksha Wasudeo Khobargade, a young party leader who is also Convener of the IGP Young Greens Committee. Ms Rehana Siddiqui, one of the General Secretaries of the party, is the Deputy Convener of the Task Force and members on the Task Force are — VSR David, Yeswanth Yarlagadda, Prashant Tandon, Suresh Nautiyal, Sathish Samuel, Chandan Kumar, Ranjeet Kumar, Baburaj Palladan and Ms Harpreet Kaur, he added.
Mr Nautiyal said spreading awareness about the Corona virus is very essential as some of the high government functionaries are resorting to superstition and populism instead of factual information on the virus.
“The scared people are looking for help desperately but the much needed help is not coming from the government agencies. In such a critical time, people need factual information on Corona virus. Every day, it is reaching a new and tragic milestone, but Prime Minister of a highly populated country like India is advising the citizens to beat saucers and ring bells to make the virus disappear,” Mr Nautiyal said expressing his anguish.
“The responsible governments in the world are taking over the private laboratories to provide free services to their citizens, whereas, on the contrary, the Indian government has allowed the private laboratories to charge Rs 5,000 for each COVID-19 test. This is like sprinkling salt on the fresh wounds,” he regretted.
Mr Nautiyal pointed out that several governments in the world have provided billions and billions of dollars to fight the virus, but the India’s Prime Minister has only advised to observe a janata curfew and bang saucers and ring bells despite the fact that eliminating the virus with noise pollution was still debatable.
“Due to the absence of responsible governmental action, more and more people will die of hunger, unemployment and reverse migration, diseases, frustration and depression,” he said, asking why the Indian government is not taking a multi-pronged approach to deal with the critical situation.
Quoting the WHO data, Mr Nautiyal regretted that the casual approaches of several governments in the world have already caused more than 9,000 deaths and more than 210,000 cases of infection.
“Even as Wuhan is not reporting the new cases for the first time since the outbreak of the virus, it provides hope for rest of the world. However, we need to remain careful and vigilant as every loss of life is a tragedy. It is good that every day, we are learning more about this virus and Indian medical researchers too have succeeded in making inroads towards its treatment, ” he stated.
Mr Nautiyal said social distancing will undoubtedly help in breaking the chain of Corona virus infection but India also needs better infrastructures like hospitals, medical research centres, virus study centres, laboratories, health camps, medicines, doctors, care givers, donors and support of government and communities for facilitating and helping the affected.
The President of the first pan-India green party said the Modi Government needs to find better ways where the daily wage earners, small shopkeepers, homeless, sick, inland and foreign travellers, etc, are taken care of properly and adequately.
He said the government is required to spend more on health and research than on military and paramilitary forces.
In the meanwhile, Mr Nautiyal said that the party’s Vice-President Prashant Tandon has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court in the capacity of a journalist asking direction for the government to create large-scale infrastructures and medical facilities to treat the Corona virus affected people.
– Press Statement issued by the IGP Spokesperson Michael Rajchandra.
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Election Commission of India (ECI) Registration Number: 56/476/2018-19/PPS-I.
Email: indiagreensparty@gmail.com
Website: https://indiagreensparty.org
