RBI REPORT GIVES UP TOP RANK IN FIGHTING COVID, SAYS STATE GOVT

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appreciated the Yogi Adityanath government’s strategy to control Covid -19 pandemic and given the first position to Uttar Pradesh among all states in fighting the pandemic.

According to an RBI report released recently, Uttar Pradesh has topped in eight out of nine parameters set by RBI to assess the performance of states in tackling the Covid-19 challenge, the state government said in a statement on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh successfully managed to control the overall situation in the first wave of the coronavirus infection as compared to other states, the RBI report said.

“Whether it was arranging hospitals, medical equipment, masks and ventilators for patients suffering from Covid-19, Uttar Pradesh acted in the fastest and most effective way,” the RBI’s Study of State Budgets report said.

In the RBI rankings, Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states that made the highest expenditure on health infrastructure. The other states on the list are Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

In addition, Uttar Pradesh secured the first position followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in providing free treatment to Covid-19 patients.

“The Yogi government has set the record and topped the RBI’s annual ‘Study of State Budgets’ report by providing 100% help to migrant workers and labourers. The state secured the first position on eight out of the nine criteria decided by the central government and RBI to fight against Covid-19,” the state government said.

Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, and Tamil Nadu are the only states to figure on the RBI list for providing emergency life support ambulance facility.

“Uttar Pradesh has topped the list in delivering N-95 masks to doctors and paramedical staff followed by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. There are 18 other states after UP in terms of helping people during the coronavirus pandemic,” says the report.

Uttar Pradesh, followed by 15 other states, has been listed in the category of states distributing free ration. Uttar Pradesh was the only state to fulfil eight of the nine criteria mentioned in the RBI report, the state government said.