Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged states which have not reduced VAT on petrol and diesel to cut the taxes, saying it is an injustice against the people. In order to reduce the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices, the central government had reduced the excise duty in November last year, he reminded.
The Prime Minister voiced his concern during his virtual interaction with State Chief Ministers on the COVID-19 situation in the country.
The Prime Minister said the way the Center and the states worked together during the COVID-19 period, has played an important role in the country’s fight against Corona. Mr. Modi said the coordination between central and state governments on economic decisions is more necessary than ever for the strength of India’s economy in view of global conditions.
Mr. Modi has said the COVID-19 challenge is not over yet and stressed the need to remain alert. He said the Omicron and its variants can still cause havoc as witnessed in European countries. He said the scientists and experts are continuously monitoring the national and global situation.
Prime Minister highlighted that the country has to work on their suggestions with a pre-emptive, pro-active and collective approach. He said that the stopping the infection at the very beginning was the priority earlier and it should remain the same even today.
He emphasized that the priority should be to vaccinate all eligible children as soon as possible and special campaigns need to be run in this direction.
The Prime Minister said it is a matter of pride for every Indian that 96 per cent of the adult population in the country has got at least one dose of Covid vaccine. He added that the country has to implement its strategy of Test, Track and Treat effectively. Mr. Modi stressed the need to promote Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places and called for scaling up infrastructure, manpower at medical colleges and district hospitals. Scaling up of manpower and medical infrastructure was also discussed in the meeting.