Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Yogi suggests uniform policy for NCR, sealing UP-Delhi border

- HT Correspond­ent letters@htlive.com ■

LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday suggested a uniform policy for the National Capital Region (NCR) to effectivel­y check the spread of the Covid-19 disease there. He also favoured sealing Uttar Pradesh’s borders with Delhi to regulate the movement of traffic.

Yogi Adityanath made these suggestion­s at a video conference that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with chief ministers on Wednesday. It was the second day of Modi’s sixth round of consultati­ons with chief ministers on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, the chief ministers of Maharashtr­a, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Bihar were among those who participat­ed in the meeting on the second day.

Adityanath suggested that directives should be issued for hospitalis­ation of asymptomat­ic

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persons instead of sending them to home quarantine.

Not admitting asymptomat­ic persons to hospital may lead to spread of the coronaviru­s disease when such persons moved from one place to another, he said. A senior officer confirmed that chief minister made the suggestion about a uniform policy for NCR. “UP’s borders with Delhi (should) be sealed and movement of traffic regulated. Asymptomat­ic persons (should) be treated in Covid hospitals and not sent for home quarantine,” the chief minister said at the meeting, according to the officer.

The chief minister, who spoke for nearly 15 minutes at the video conference with the prime minister, said there was regular movement of people from both sides in the border districts. That was why a uniform policy was needed, he added.

Reviewing the Unlock-1 situation earlier in the day, the chief minister asked chief secretary RK Tiwari and principal secretary, medical, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad to take stock of the medical infra

structure and arrangemen­ts made in districts of Meerut division (NCR) to fight Covid-19.

Yogi gave data to make his point about welfare measures initiated by the state government and status of testing, Covid-19 infections, recovery and death of patients.

He said 16,159 samples were tested on Tuesday alone. In all 4,82,596 tests have been conducted so far in the state. He said a loan of Rs 2002 crore was given to 56,000 people leading to creation of 2 lakh jobs. He also said 36.40 lakh metric tonne food grains were distribute­d five times to 14.6 lakh people free of charge. The chief minister also gave data about disburseme­nt of pension under schemes for widows, senior citizens and disabled persons.

Yogi Adityanath said the state government had set up a commission to explore job opportunit­ies for workers/labourers and provide them social security and insurance etc. The commission headed by chief minister held its first meeting on Tuesday. A committee headed by minister for finance Suresh Khanna has been formed to make recommenda­tions for providing social and economic security to the workers/labourers.

 ?? ANI ?? ■
PM Narendra Modi and UP chief minister during a video conferenci­ng on Wednesday.
ANI ■ PM Narendra Modi and UP chief minister during a video conferenci­ng on Wednesday.

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