KERALA chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked prime minister Narendra Modi to ensure that personal protection equipment (PPE) is provided for hundreds of Indian nurses working across the country and abroad. He made the demand after a whopping 46 Malayalee nurses working in Mumbai have tested positive for Covid-19.

As many as 345 people in Kerala have been tested positive for Covid-19 as on April 8 and nine new cases were reported on the day. Pinarayi said that 212 people from the state had attended the Tablighi meeting in Delhi and 15 of them have tested positive for Covid-19. New cases were reported from Kannur, Alappuzha,Pathnamthitta, Thrissur and Kasaragod districts.

Condemning the central government’s decision to scrap the MPLAD funds, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the decision will adversely impact rural development in the country. He said that the decision to merge MPLAD funds with the government’s corpus fund is against federal principles. Demanding the centre to go back on the move, he said that the central government must take a decision to use the MPLAD funds for Covid-19 preventive measures.

Pinarayi Vijayan demanded prime minister Narendra Modi to ensure uninterrupted cargo movement through the various state borders at a video conference of chief ministers with the PM on April 2. The issue of cargo movement was raised as the Karnataka state government closed its borders with Kerala as part of its preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Pinarayi Vijayan also demanded the prime minister to ensure the safety of the Malayalees who are stranded in foreign countries due to the implementation of quarantine. He demanded that new quarantine centres be set up by the respective Indian missions abroad for the safety of the non-resident Indians. He also urged the PM to make arrangements for the bodies of those Indians who died abroad due to causes other than Covid-19 infection, to reach their homeland, during the lockdown period.

“Prime minister has insisted on expanding the team of volunteers by adding NSS members and NCC cadets. We have informed him that Kerala has already registered 2,31,000 volunteers. Apart from this State Youth Commission has registered more volunteers. Prime minister’s directions will also be taken into consideration,” Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Speaking to the media after a Covid-19 review meeting, he expressed condolences to the 18 Keralites who lived abroad and lost their lives to Covid-19. “Our state is ready to face any kind of medical emergency. Kasargod Medical College has been turned into a state of the art Covid Hospital within just four days. Two hundred beds and 10 ICU rooms have been set up in the hospital. Hundred more beds and 10 ICUs will be provided at the facility. Modern facilities worth Rs 7.5 crore were put in place. The Kerala State Electricity Board has donated Rs10 crore from the Board's Community responsibility fund. An expert team consisting of 11 doctors, 10 staff nurses and five nursing assistants has reached Kasargod, the district where the maximum number of patients have been diagnosed with Covid-19.” he said.

Providing relief to workers, the chief minister said that workshops and spare parts shops in the state can function during Sundays and Thursdays. Mobile phone shops can function only on Sunday and registered electricians can be allowed to visit the houses for repair work, he said.