PM Modi said that the Center had reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel in November to reduce the cost burden on the people.
PM Modi said that the Center had reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel in November to reduce the cost burden on the people.
Some states did not pass on the benefits of reduction in excise duty petrol and diesel Due to the high cost of petrol and diesel there by the central government. “These states should take immediate remedial measures to stop this injustice,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.
He appealed to the states to ensure Centre-State cooperation saying that this is the need of the hour when the global community is under stress due to the war situation and challenges due to supply chain disruptions and rising cases of COVID-19 again. doing. ,
In an interaction with Chief Ministers on the evolving situation of COVID-19, the Prime Minister said that along with the challenges of the pandemic, the global community and the common man are facing the fallout of a war.
“The war situation that has arisen has affected the supply chain and the challenges in such an environment are increasing day by day,” Mr Modi said in a clear reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“India fought a long battle against Corona in the spirit of cooperative federalism. In the current global scenario, for the strength of India’s economy, coordination between the central and state governments in economic decisions is essential. This spirit of cooperative federalism becomes even more important in the circumstances imposed by global events,” he said with reference to the prices of petrol and diesel.
The Prime Minister said that in order to reduce the burden of both the prices, the Central Government has reduced the excise duty and requested the states to do the same. Some states reduced taxes but some did not pass the benefits to the people, leading to higher fuel prices.
“It is not only injustice to the people of the state but also harms the neighboring states. States like Karnataka and Gujarat have reduced the tax for the welfare of the people despite the revenue loss, while their neighboring states have earned revenue by not reducing the tax.
Similarly, the Prime Minister said that last November there was a request to reduce VAT, but several states, most of which are non-BJP ruled states, such as Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand did not do this. So for some reason.
The Prime Minister said that 42% of the revenue of the Center goes to the State Governments. “I urge all the states to work as a team following the spirit of cooperative federalism in this time of global crisis.”
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On the need to test, track, treat, vaccinate and ensure appropriate behavior and cases in some states, the PM said that the challenge of the pandemic is not completely over.
“Omicron and its subtypes can clearly cause problems in the case of many countries in Europe. The subvariants are causing many surges in many countries. India has been able to deal with the situation better than many countries. Again Also, in the last two weeks, the increasing number of cases in some states shows that we need to be vigilant.
The Prime Minister said that the Omicron wave was handled with determination and without panic and in the last two years, all aspects of the Corona fight – whether health infrastructure, oxygen supply or vaccination – have been strengthened. In the third wave, no state saw the situation spiraling out of control. The Prime Minister said that this should be seen in the context of massive vaccination campaign.
He said that the vaccine has reached every individual and it is a matter of pride that 96 per cent of the adult population has been vaccinated with at least one dose and about 84% of people above the age of 15 years have received both doses. Vaccines, according to experts, are the biggest defense against the virus, he said.
The Prime Minister said that the schools are open after a long time and some parents are worried about the increasing number of cases in some places. He expressed satisfaction that more and more children are getting the vaccine. He said that in March, the campaign to vaccinate people between 12 and 14 years was started only yesterday. [Tuesday]The Covaxin vaccine is approved for children 6 to 12 years old.
“Our priority is to vaccinate all eligible children at the earliest. For this, as before, special campaigns will be needed in schools as well. Teachers and parents should be aware of this,” the Prime Minister said. Precautionary doses are available for all adults to strengthen the vaccine shield. He said that teachers, parents and other eligible people can take it.
The Prime Minister stressed on the need to test cases of severe influenza and genome sequencing of positive cases, appropriate COVID treatment and avoidance of panic. He also stressed on continuous upgradation of health infrastructure and medical manpower.
The Prime Minister said that with the rising temperature, the incidents of fire in forests and buildings are increasing. He specifically asked for fire safety audit of hospitals. To deal with this challenge, our system should be comprehensive and the response time should be minimum, he said.