Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday telephoned Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to discuss the impact of certain relaxations announced in the lockdown after April 20.
Mr. Jagan, besides explaining the measures being taken by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, informed Mr. Shah that the State was conducting tests in a big way and stood first in the country with the highest number of 1,274 tests per million, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
Bringing the plight of fishermen from the State who were stranded at Veraval in Gujarat to Mr. Shah’s notice, the Chief Minister said the issue was also taken up with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is the nodal Minister for Andhra Pradesh.
He told Mr. Shah that the State government had designated senior IAS officer Satish Chandra to pursue the matter with the Finance Ministry.
“In response, Ms. Sitharaman has assured that an official from her office will be designated to take the issue to its logical conclusion. She has also promised to take steps to send the stranded fishermen back to their native State,” he told Mr. Shah.
Stating that the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat planned to arrange transport to the fishermen through the sea route, Mr. Jagan told Mr. Shah that the Union Home Ministry’s permission was required for the same.
The CMO release, however, did not say anything about Mr. Shah’s response to the issues raised by the Chief Minister.
Rahul’s tweet
Meanwhile, the fishermen issue caught the attention of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In a tweet, he said, “Over 6,000 fishermen from A.P., stranded in Gujarat, have been confined to their tiny fishing trawlers for over a month, in unhygienic conditions with limited food & water. I appeal to the Govt. to move my brothers to relief camps and ensure their well-being.”
On April 9, TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, in a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, highlighted the plight of the fishermen, and urged him to provide shelter, food, water, and medical facilities to them.
On April 21, Mr. Jagan called Mr. Rupani up and sought his intervention in providing food and other facilities to the fishermen who hail from the north coastal Andhra region.
The Gujarat government, however, said the fishermen were being taken good care of, and they could continue fishing activity in the State.
