COVID-19: Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi; seeks advance payment to MGNREGA workers

Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the urgency of providing income to the rural poor and suggested that MGNREGA payment be made in advance. This comes as the country is gripped with the surge in cases of Coronavirus, taking the total to over 1600.

Expressing distress over the plight of the poor in the country, the Congress President urged PM Modi to take immediate action and extend support to nearly eight crore rural workers in the country.

"Social Distancing norms have rendered all works unfeasible during the lockdown. Furthermore, even after the work commences, the MGNREGA workers have to wait for more than a month to recieve wages," the letter added.

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The Coronavirus Pandemic 

As of date, India has reported over 1,600 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, around 38 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar, apart from barring all incoming international flights. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in order to curb the spread of the virus. 

At present, there are around 871,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 43,200 people across the world. Meanwhile, around 184,482 people have reportedly recovered. The US is at the top of the charts with respect to Coronavirus cases, with over 1.8 lakh people infected with the virus.

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