Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, offering suggestions to provide relief to the people who are fighting the second wave of COVID-19.
Also read: COVID-19 cases found in nearly a third of U.P. villages, says official
Ms. Vadra, who is the Congress in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, has demanded that the State government regulate the cost of COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals.
“Apart from government sector health services, hospitals from the private sector have played an important role and set a fine example of honestly serving the people. However, there are also several complaints of fleecing,” she wrote, adding that “people have been forced to take loans to pay hospital bills”.
The State government should intervene and call a meeting of representatives of private nursing homes to fix the charges of COVID-19 treatment and provide relief to people, she said.
Making five suggestions in her letter to mitigate the pains of the people, she also raised the issue of food inflation.
The Congress leader pointed out rising price of edible oil, fruits and vegetables and other household items had adversely affected the people fighting the pandemic. She suggested that the government regulate the prices of food items as well in order to stem the spiralling price rise.
‘Don’t raise power tariff’
Another suggestion related to asking the government not to further increase the power tariff as household consumers were already reeling under hefty bills because of smart meters.
Ms. Vadra also raised the issue of parents of school children facing pressure from school management to pay school fees of their wards during the pandemic.
“The State government should come up with a blueprint to give relief to parents from high fees and at the same time a package should be announced for schools to tide over the crisis,’ she said in her letter.
The Congress leader also asked for a clear roadmap to provide relief to small businesses and traders by reducing their burden of taxes and tariffs.
Arguing that the people had been left to fend for themselves in their fight against COVID-19, Ms. Vadra wrote, “The State Government should take up welfare measures for providing relief to people hit by the crisis”.
