Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government will operate fleets of cargo trucks cyclically and on a convoy basis to ensure essential supplies, including food grains, reached the State unimpeded from production centres across the borders.
He said here on Friday that traders feared an imminent shortage of supplies if the authorities did not help restore essential freight traffic to pre-curfew levels urgently. The government had asked the Centre to release provisions, including pulses and edible oil, to include in grocery kits for COVID-19 affected persons.
He sought contributions to the CMDRF to combat the pandemic. He hoped the private sector would divert its production lines and resources to churn out medical essentials and protective gear for essential service providers.
A firm had offered to supply clothes for newborns free-of-cost to government hospitals. Another major electronic company has agreed to provide air coolers and water purifiers to quarantine centres. The Chief Minister hoped they had set an example for other industrialists.
He requested the RBI to urge banks to waive interest on loans. He asked the Centre to raise the State’s debt limit from the current 3% to 5% of the State GDP.
The government asked companies not to lay off staff or cut wages. It ordered non-banking institutions, chit funds, and money lenders not to auction pawned gold till further notice. The government also barred them from sending agents to collect mortgage payments or recover interest from debtors.
The government extended the last date for paying educational fee indefinitely. Question papers and examination answer sheets in schools and colleges would be shifted to secure rooms. He frowned at reports that certain elements had attempted to ostracise caregivers socially.
He said society and the State supported doctors, paramedics and health workers who risked their lives daily on the frontline of the battle against the virus.
