Arjun Munda writes to CMs, urges them to protect tribals amid COVID-19 lockdown

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Tuesday, April 7 wrote to several state Chief Ministers urging m to protect livelihood of tribals amid coronavirus lockdown. According to reports, he has asked Chief Ministers to initiate process of undertaking procurement of mir forest produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP). 

Arjun Munda writes to CMs

In letter, Union Minister stated that  procurement by states will contain movement of middlemen from cities to tribal areas. "This is to obviate movement of middlemen in urban areas to tribal habitations and thus check spre of COVID-19 among tribal communities. Funds are available with states and if any need arises, Ministry will make m available," it re. 

Furr, as per reports,  Chief Ministers to whom Munda wrote letter include Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhl, Mhya Presh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa, Andhra Presh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Assam CM Sarbanand Sowal, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, and Manipur CM N Biren Singh. 

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COVID-19 crisis in India

According to latest update of Health Ministry, about 4,789 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in country including 4,312 active cases. While 124 deaths have been reported overall, around 353 people have been cured. Currently, highest number of cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nu. 

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In a bid to tackle growing crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 h anunced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to check spre of coronavirus, stating that "social distancing" is only way to contain disease which is spreing rapidly across world. 

Meanwhile, PM Modi has also established a dedicated national fund with primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation -- like posed by COVID-19 pandemic -- and to provide relief to affected. A public charitable trust under name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) has been established for same.

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