Statement of Lok Raj Sangathan, April 1, 2020
The Corona virus has been spreading to every nook and corner of the world and claiming thousands of lives. As of today, 8.8 lakh people have been infected by the virus and more than 44,000 people have died.
In India, the numbers of infected people and deaths due to infection have been rising rapidly posing a grave danger to millions of people.
The government has responded to the threat with the announcement of a 21-day lockdown from 24th March. Only essential services have been allowed to function. Schools, factories, and other establishments have been shut down. Millions of daily-wage workers, small traders and other poor working people have lost their means of livelihood and are in a desperate condition.
People working in essential sectors such as health, essential commodities, municipal workers, police and others have been regularly on their jobs serving the people in various ways at the risk of their own lives. Lok Raj Sangathan salutes them and also supports them in their demands that they should be provided safety kits and treated as human beings.
The lockdown is a necessary step. While it is important for the people to cooperate with the lockdown, it is also equally important that the government announce and implement urgent measures to ensure that all working people are assured of their jobs, wages, food and safety. Lok Raj Sangathan supports the demand of workers that any loss that they have incurred due to the pandemic should be compensated by the government.
The pandemic can be overcome only by the people of all countries fighting unitedly against it. This is not the time to blame one country or another for the spread of the virus or for not having done enough. Likewise it is unjust to blame one community or organisation for the spread of the virus. The times are calling for a broadminded response on the part of all political and social organisations, rising above all petty partisan rivalries to tackle the nationwide and worldwide crisis.
Lok Raj Sangathan has already been extending support to people affected by the crisis. It calls on its members to cooperate in the fight against this deadly virus. It also calls on all the people and their organisations to take up the challenge to do their utmost to prevent the further spread of the virus and to assist people in distress.
