Mangaluru: MLC Ivan D’Souza urged both the Central and state governments to fulfill its promise to help the public and opined that ration items should be disbursed to all, regardless of whether or not they are BPL or APL card holders.
Addressing the reporters here on Saturday, April 4, Ivan said, “Due to the lockdown, all people have incurred loss. However, not a single welfare programme of the government has reached the general public. As almost everyone has become jobless now, the government should provide ration items to all, without seeing if they have BPL or APL cards.”
He also claimed that the elderly are not receiving their pensions. “Though the government asked the public not pay their EMIs due to the lockdown losses, the banks have been deducting the EMI of the people. Even though the government had said that free lunch would be provided to the poor, people still need to pay for lunch, even in the Indira Canteens,” he added.
Pointing out to the failure of the district administration in handling the COVID-19 patients, Ivan said that proper ventilators are not available in hospitals to support the patients. “The district administration should close all the loopholes when it comes to providing treatment to the COVID-19 patients in the government Wenlock Hospital,” he said.