Namaskar! At the outset, I express my deep grief over the mishap in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. I offer my condolences to the families of the people who have died. Financial help is also being given to the affected families.
Friends,
This is our 24th meeting regarding Corona in the last two years. The way the Center and the states cooperated together during the Corona period has played an important role in the country's fight against Corona. I appreciate all the Corona Warriors along with all the Chief Ministers, State Governments and officers.
Friends,
The Health Secretary has just briefed us in detail regarding the rising cases of Corona in some states. The respected Home Minister has also shared many important aspects with us. At the same time, many Chief Ministers have also presented many important points before everybody. It is clear that the Covid challenge is not fully over yet. We can see in European countries how Omicron and its sub-variants can cause serious problems. In the last few months, sub-variants are causing surges in many countries. India has been able to deal with the situation better than most countries. However, we need to be alert in view of the uptick in cases in some states in the last two weeks. We have learned a lot from the (last) wave that came a few months back. All the countrymen successfully dealt with the Omicron wave without panic.
Friends,
Within two years, the country has strengthened whatever is necessary in every aspect related to Corona, from health infrastructure to oxygen supply. There were no reports of the situation going out of control in any state in the third wave. It was largely helped by our Covid Vaccination Campaign! The vaccines have reached every state, district and region of the country, irrespective of the geographical conditions. It is a matter of pride for every Indian that today 96 percent of the adult population of India has received the first dose of Corona vaccines. About 85 percent of citizens above 15 years of age have already had a second dose.
Friends,
You are aware and most of the experts of the world also conclude that vaccines are the best shield against Corona. Schools have opened in our country after a long time and classes have resumed. Parents are increasingly becoming worried due to the rise in Corona cases. There have also been reports of children getting infected in some schools. But it is a matter of satisfaction that most children have the shield of the vaccines. We started vaccination for 12 to 14-year-olds in March. Just yesterday, permission has been given for the vaccination of children between 6 to 12 years. Our priority is to vaccinate all eligible children at the earliest. Special campaigns will also be needed in schools as before. We also have to ensure that teachers and parents should be aware of this. The precautionary dose is also available for all adults in the country to strengthen the vaccine protective shield. Teachers, parents and other eligible people can also take precautionary doses. We also need to make them aware.
Friends,
We have seen more than three lakh cases every day during the third wave. All our states handled these cases and gave impetus to the rest of the socio-economic activities as well. This balance should remain a part of our strategy in the future as well. Our scientists and experts are continuously monitoring the national and global situation. We have to work with a pre-emptive, proactive and collective approach to their suggestions. Preventing infections at the very beginning was our priority and should remain so even now. We have to implement our strategy of Test, Track and Treat as effectively as all of you have mentioned. In the current situation, it is necessary that a 100 percent RT-PCR test should be done for patients hospitalized due to influenza. The sample of whoever tests positive must be sent for genome sequencing. This will enable us to identify the variants in a timely manner.
Friends,
We have to promote Covid-appropriate behavior in public places, as well as ensure that panic does not spread in public.
Friends,
In today's discussion, the work being done to upgrade the health infrastructure was also discussed. It should be ensured that the work of upgrading the infrastructure continues at a fast pace. We are in a much better position in terms of facilities like beds, ventilators and PSA oxygen plants. In order to ensure that these facilities remain functional, we also have to monitor them and fix the responsibility so that we do not face any crises in the future. I would also request that the gap, if any, should be verified at the top level and efforts should be made to address it. We need to scale up medical infrastructure and manpower in all the medical colleges and district hospitals. I am sure we will continue to evolve best practices, continue the fight against Corona firmly and find ways out with mutual cooperation and dialogue.
Friends,
Following the spirit of cooperative federalism as expressed in the Constitution, India has fought this long battle firmly against Corona. Due to the global situation and the effect of external factors on the internal conditions of the country, the Center and the states together have fought it and will have to do it further. It is only due to the joint efforts of the Center and the states that today the health infrastructure in the country has improved considerably. But friends, today I want to mention one more aspect. In the wake of today's global conditions, coordination between the central and state governments in economic decisions has become more necessary than ever to strengthen India’s economy. You all are aware that the challenges are increasing day by day in the wake of the situation caused by war and the way the supply chain has been affected. This global crisis is causing many challenges. In times of crisis, it has become imperative to further enhance the spirit of cooperative federalism and synergy between the Center and the states. Now let me give you a small example. The issue of petrol and diesel prices is before all of us. The Central Government had reduced the excise duty in order to reduce the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices on the countrymen. It was reduced in November last year. The central government had also urged the states to reduce taxes and pass on the benefits to the citizens. Accordingly, some states reduced the taxes, but some states did not pass on any benefit to the people. As a result, the prices of petrol and diesel are still higher in these states. This is not only injustice to the people of these states, but also harms the neighboring states. It is natural that the states which cut taxes lose revenue. For example, if Karnataka had not reduced taxes, it would have earned revenue of more than Rs 5,000 crore in these six months. Had Gujarat also not reduced the taxes, it would have earned revenue of more than 3,500-4,000 crore rupees.
Some states took positive steps by reducing VAT for the betterment of their citizens so that their citizens do not suffer. On the other hand, the neighboring states of Gujarat and Karnataka earned additional revenue ranging from 3,500 to 5,500 crore rupees in these six months by not reducing taxes. As you know, I had requested every state to reduce VAT in November last year. I am not criticizing anyone. I am requesting you to ensure the well-being of the citizens of your state. Six months ago, some states followed my request whereas some others did not. Some states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand did not agree for some reason and as a result, the burden on the citizens of their states continued. I will not go into how much revenue these states earned during this period. It had to be done in the interest of the country last November. There has already been a delay of six months. But now I request you to reduce VAT to ensure benefits to the citizens of their states. As you are aware 42 percent of the revenue of the Government of India goes to the states. I urge all the states to work together as a team in the spirit of cooperative federalism during the ongoing global crisis.
There are several issues, but I am not going into their details. For example, fertilizer! We are dependent on many countries of the world for fertilizers. There has been such a huge crisis and subsidies are increasing manifold. We do not want to burden our farmers. In the wake of such a crisis, I request all of you to give top priority to the interests of the people in your state and your neighbouring state. I will give you another example. Now what was to be done in November was not done. So, what happened in the last six months? Today, petrol in Tamil Nadu costs around Rs 111 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, more than Rs. 118 in Jaipur, Rs. 119 in Hyderabad, Rs.115 in Kolkata and Rs. 120 in Mumbai. It is Rs. 102 in Diu Daman next to Mumbai which lowered the prices. It is Rs. 120 in Mumbai, whereas it is Rs. 102 in nearby Diu Daman. It is Rs. 115 in Kolkata, Rs. 105 in Lucknow, around Rs. 120 in Hyderabad, Rs. 106 in Jammu, Rs. 118 in Jaipur, Rs. 105 in Guwahati, Rs. 105 in Gurugram and Rs. 103 in Dehradun in a smaller state Uttarakhand. Whatever revenues you earned in the last six months will benefit your states. But today I make a special request to you to cooperate in the national interests.
Friends,
One more topic on which I want to put my point today. The heat is increasing rapidly in the country and it is getting very hot before time and we are also witnessing increasing incidents of fire at different places. There have been incidents of fire in forests, in important buildings and in hospitals in the past few days. We all remember how painful those days were when many hospitals caught fire last year and it was a very painful situation. That was a very difficult time. Many people lost their lives in these accidents.
Therefore, I urge all the states to carry out safety audits and strengthen the security arrangements, especially in hospitals, on a priority basis. I would urge you to put your teams, especially for monitoring, so that we can avoid or minimize such incidents and our response time should also be minimal. There should be no loss of life and property and there should be no accidents anywhere in the country. Our innocent citizens should not lose their lives.
Friends,
I once again thank you all for taking out time and I am always available to you. I would love it if you have any important suggestions. I thank you all very much once again.
