SHILLONG, May 30: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has said that the state government should come up with a financial package and assistance for the underprivileged lot who have suffered the most during the pandemic and the lockdowns, while another organisation, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), has voiced concern over the recent developments in the state related to COVID-19.
It is worth mentioning here that the month-long lockdown has had an adverse effect on the livelihood of people from different fields, particularly farmers, hawkers, daily wage earners etc.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Sunday, KSU president Lambok Marngar said that apart from farmers, daily labourers and even taxi drivers have suffered plenty during the pandemic and the Union wants the government to find out some ways and means to extend support to the sections which have been badly hit by the pandemic.
Earlier, KSU took note of the fact that vegetables are being thrown on the road and at the Anjalee Parking lot as farmers face a hard time in finding customers to sell their produce. It had also asked the government to grant some relaxation to the aggrieved farmers in selling their produce.
Farmers from several parts of East Khasi Hills have been making it to temporary wholesale market set up at the Anjalee parking lot after spending a lot on transportation but in the absence of customers, they have been forced to dump their produce incurring severe losses.
To corroborate the farmers’ pains, some were even seen on the city streets trying to sell vegetables and milk on Sunday. “We have already asked the government to look into the matter and we even want the Agriculture department to look into it,” he said, while adding that farmers invest a lot of money in making sincere attempts to sell their produce but are incurring huge losses.
Stating that the Union has received complaints about the district administration continuing to harass the farmers by stopping their vehicles when they supply vegetables, Marngar said that the government should understand the ground reality and act accordingly. The KSU also made it clear that the Union would continue to pursue and extend its support to the issues of farmers
‘Come up with new strategy’
Meanwhile, FKJGP president Wellbirth Rani has urged the government to come up with a new strategy that ensures that the daily wage earners and lower-income group are not deprived of earning a livelihood while at the same time ensure that the virus is contained.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, the FKJGP stressed that every individual should behave responsibly and follow SOPs and protocols issued by the Health department to prevent and contain the spread of the coronavirus.
“But we request the government to come up with some new strategies so that the poor people including the daily wage earners would not face the problem whether in terms of earning their livelihood or shortage of ration to feed themselves,” FKJGP president said.
He further said that the state government should provide some immediate relief to the poor families both in the urban and rural areas during this crisis and also protect the interests of the farmers.
Stating that the price of vegetables has sky rocketed in all localities, he, however, said that it is sad that vegetable produce of the farmers are getting rotten. “This clearly reflects that there are traders and middlemen who are exploiting the situation. I urged upon the government not to disrupt the movement of the farmers who are planning to transport their agricultural produce to the market,” the FKJGP president said.
He also urged the government to keep a close watch over private hospitals and ensure that they do not charge exorbitant fees for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Appreciating the decision of the government to enhance the MHIS coverage for COVID-19 patients, Rani said that there are many families who are yet to get themselves registered under the health insurance scheme.
“We urged the government to make an arrangement to request both the government and private to help in the registration of people who are receiving treatment for COVID-19 under MHIS,” he added.
