‘Surge in cases in Himachal but not at the pace as in other states’
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur is facing the twin challenges of battling the Covid-19 pandemic and bickering within the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In an interview with Chetan Chauhan, Thakur spoke about how the state has kept the Covid-19 numbers low and his plans to revive the economy. Edited excerpts:
How has Himachal dealt with Covid-19?
In Himachal, corona has increased but not at the pace as in other states. In Himachal, we continued with curfew to explain to people in simple terms that they don’t have to go out. Strict implementation helped as it did not allow spread of Covid till Tablighi Jamaat attendees returned in April first week. Despite that, management within the state was so good that we didn’t allow the cases to increase. We formed a team of 16,000 personnel, who went to all 70 lakh homes, and took health details of all.
So why has the number of cases increased to about 615?
When Himachalis from other states start returning in May, cases increased. On May 1, we had one Covid positive case. When the PM held a video conference with all CMs, he told all of us to ensure that migrants are able to return home safely. We brought back people from across India and students from Kota{coaching schools} also came back. Now there are 615 cases. We have a mechanism to ensure every returnee is kept in institutional quarantine and is tested.
PM has spoken about unlock norms. In Himachal, tourism and horticulture are two important cogs of the state’s economy. How do you plan to revive them?
Tourism in Himachal and the entire world is badly affected. ... Although we are getting calls that people want to come to Himachal, we have not given a relaxation in unlock norms, as Covid cases are still high outside Himachal... Our people have suffered as 55,000 people are directly employed and lakhs are indirectly employed {in tourism}. Home stay is a big income source, which is gone.
Horticulture sector has been affected. Cherry season went well. Apple season, which is ₹4,000 to 4,500 crore economy, has three important components --- packaging material, marketing and labour. We have started factories and are arranging for 2.5 crore apple packaging boxes. For selling, there can be an issue if Azadpur market (in New Delhi) is closed because of Covid. We have raised the issue with the PM and are working on the alternatives. Third is labour, most of which comes from Nepal. Nepalese workers go back to their homes in November-December... This year, many have not come back...
Former BJP state president Rajeev Bindal had to resign because of the alleged scam in purchase of personal protection equipment kits, which is said to be a result of internal bickering.
It is not a big scam. We are trying to save every person and people have suffered because of Covid. In this, if someone tries to steal, there cannot be a bigger sin. Party president (Bindal) is not directly involved... The issue was that the director of health, who seemed to be seeking money (for award of PPE kit contracts) is considered close to him. When the opposition raised the issue, he (Bindal) resigned on moral grounds...We have conducted and inquiry and have taken the best possible action.