Assam: Opposition Leader Debabrata Saikia Urges Govt to Ensure Needy People Get Relief Package

Guwahati, April 1, 2020:

Opposition Leader, Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia has urged the State Government to facilitate relief packages in forms of food and other essentials to those living hand to mouth in the rural areas and not just the municipality town or urban areas.

He also urged the Government to provide free ration and essentials to all the vulnerable sections of society, including those engaged in various self-employment activities such as running small eating joints, carriage of green tea leaves and other goods, barber shops, carpentry shops, paan kiosks, tailor shops etc, who have now been deprived of their earning source.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority(ASDMA) had directed all the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts of Assam to provide relief for a week to all wage earners, rickshaw pullers, slum dwellers and poor population only in municipal towns.

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"This Government directive has limited the provision of relief only to urban areas and, as a

result, many rural people who used to come daily to urban areas to earn their livelihood and return home in the evening, are facing problems as they are unable to come out to earn their livelihood due to the lockdown. It is necessary that the inhabitants of villages from where these people come to town, are also provided relief as per the Government of India directive," stated Saikia in his letter addressed to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The Opposition leader also informed that he had personally received a report that some labourers working with a PWD contractor at the Assam-Nagaland border in his LAC, under Na-Pukhuri Gaon Panchayat, were stranded and they were facing problems in obtaining ration etc. Following this, he had made a request for their relief measures but the labourers are yet to receive any of the measures.

"I would request the Government to modify the order in question so that relief materials etc. could be provided to the stranded migrant labourers located in various rural areas of Assam. Otherwise, they may even die of starvation," he said.

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The Opposition leader of Assam Legislative Assembly has put forward a few suggestions that can ensure that all the vulnerable people of the society receive the relief measures. He suggests that instead of providing Rs 1000 to those who are excluded from the National Food Security scheme and other welfare schemes, the State Government should provide rice, pulses etc. through a bolstered Public Distribution System (PDS).

He further drew the CM's attention to the local dairy farmers, vegetable farmers and livestock rearers who "are in pretty bad shape due to the lockdown. Most of them are unable to sell their perishable produce now." Therefore, Saikia urges the Government to boost the PDS.

"The Department may also utilize the Food Processing Parks established in our state for converting such produce into processed food so that they do not get spoiled. In case the Food Processing Parks of Assam are not functional, then the Department should arrange special transportation facility to carry milk, vegetables, livestock and other agricultural produce to Food Processing Parks located in neighbouring states and, thereby, provide financial relief to our local producers," he observed.

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