Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a video conference with chief ministers on Monday on ways to strengthen the COVID-19 containment strategy and stepping up of economic activities in a calibrated manner as the 54-day nationwide lockdown nears an end.
While some CMs suggested reopening economic activity in phases, others pitched for the extension of the coronavirus lockdown, but with a carefully crafted exit strategy
Here is a look at what chief ministers told PM Modi.
Delhi
Barring containment zones, economic activities should be allowed to resume in the national capital, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said during a video conference chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with CMs of different states.
"During the interaction, the chief minister said economic activities should be allowed to resume in Delhi, except in COVID-19 containment zones," a source told PTI.
The government has already demanded from the Centre that all 11 districts of Delhi be not treated as 'red zones' so that more economic activities are allowed in the national capital, sources said.
They said that the government wants that in Delhi 'red zones' be identified as per municipal wards instead of districts.
Recently, the Union health ministry classified the entire national capital, which has 11 districts, as red zone. The city has 272 wards.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show "specific and concrete direction" on the ongoing lockdown.
Thackeray said that deployment of the Central forces will give rest to police personnel in Maharashtra who are exhausted due to COVID-19 duty.
"Show us specific and concrete direction on lockdown, the states will implement the same," an official statement quoted Thackeray as telling the prime minister.
Thackeray also requested Modi to start local trains in Mumbai for essential services staff working in the city, it said.
Maharashtra has so far reported total 23,401 COVID-19 cases, the highest in the country, and 868 deaths, including 14,355 cases in Mumbai with 528 fatalities.
"We need some help from the Central forces so that our police staff can take some rest. The staff is currently exhausted. We can not let them fall sick," he said.
Thackeray also demanded medical facilities of various Central agencies, such as the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, the Mumbai Port Trust, located in the state as part of a preparedness to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
"It will help in reducing stress on our administration and people," Thackeray said.
The CM told the PM about the arrangements made by the state government for food and shelter of some 5.5 lakh migrant labourers.
"We are coordinating efficiently with other states to send back migrant labourers," Thackeray said.
He also demanded resumption of local train services for those employed in essential services.
"Local trains should be operated for those people who are allowed to go to work in the Mumbai region. They can board these trains only using their ID cards," he said.
Thackeray also sought the help of the prime minister in disbursing crop loan to farmers.
"The prime minister could give necessary instructions to banks through RBI for disbursing crop loans to farmers who could not get the benefits of the loan waiver scheme of the state government. Some 10 lakh farmers in Maharashtra would benefit out of it (if RBI allows such disbursal)," he said.
Thackeray said Maharashtra suffered a Rs 35,000 crore setback on GST revenue due to the lockdown. "The state should get its rebate at the earliest," he said.
Thackeray further said that pharmaceutical companies in the state need some kind of encouragement for manufacturing medicines to treat coronavirus patients.
"The Centre can set up a task force of expert doctors like Maharashtra has done. The central task force will be able to guide our doctors from time to time," Thackeray said.
Tamil Nadu
Citing increasing COVID-19 cases in the state, chief minister K Palaniswami came out against resumption of passenger train and air services in the state till May 31 and sought more PCR kits from the Centre to ramp up the ongoing aggressive testing.
"We know from media that regular train service to Chennai (from Delhi) and from Chennai will commence from May 12. As the positive cases in Chennai are showing an increasing trend, don't permit train services up to 31.5.2020, in my state," the chief minister told Modi.
"I request you not to begin regular air services till 31.5.2020," the release quoted Palaniswami as having further said.
As on Sunday, a total of 2,43,037 samples had been tested in the state and 7,204 were found positive, he said.
The railways has announced resumption of a limited number of passenger services after an almost a 50-day hiatus since the national lockdown came into force in March.
As many as 15 trains are to run from Tuesday on the Rajdhani route from Delhi to all the major cities, including Chennai, in the country.
Tamil Nadu, especially its capital city, has been witnessing a steady spike in fresh cases in the past several days after the wholesale Koyambedu vegetable market here emerged as a major hotspot.
Against this background, Palaniswami told the prime minister that presently, 59,610 contacts and suspected people were under active quarantine in the state.
"Effective medical treatment has ensured that the death rate is only 0.67 per cent and 1,959 patients have been discharged which works out to 27 per cent discharge rate. So far, the state has been maintaining the lowest death rate in India," he said.
Briefing Modi on the testing for coronavirus, he said the state has a capacity to screen 13,000 samples a day.
"I am informed that maximum tests (in the country) are being done by Tamil Nadu," he said adding the state was continuing the strategy of aggressive targeted testing.
He sought more number of PCR testing kits from the Centre.
Also, he referred to the requests he had made during the earlier video conference interactions such as Rs 2,000 crore special grant to the state to enhance available medical equipment.
Palaiswami said the state has also sought nod for additional borrowing of 33 per cent above the permitted level for 2019-20 be allowed for 2020-21 as well and release of pending GST compensation.
"I also request an ad-hoc grant of Rs 1,000 crore from the National Diasaster Relief Fund immediately to procure medical, protective materials and for the movement of migrant labourers, the cost of which has been borne entirely by the state government," he said.
He wanted the Chief Ministers Public Relief Fund to be made eligible to receive Corporate Social Responsibility contributions under Schedule-III of the Companies Act, 2013.
West Bengal
West Bengal is being "unnecessarily targeted" over its handling of COVID-19, chief minister Mamata Banerjee told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, insisting she wants to fight the pandemic jointly with the Centre, TMC sources said.
She also demanded that the Centre formulate a "clear strategy" to fight the disease, sources in the state's ruling party said.
Banerjee highlighted the "contradictions" in the Centre's approach to tackling the outbreak.
"On one hand the Centre wants the lockdown to be enforced strictly, and on the other it is resuming train services and reopening land borders," sources quoted her as having told the meeting while presenting her views on whether the lockdown should be extended beyond May 17.
She suggested that states be allowed to decide on which sectors to open and which to keep shut keeping in mind the situation on the ground.
We want to fight the pandemic alongside the central government. But Bengal has been unnecessarily targeted politically. Instead of shifting the onus on the states, the Centre should come out with a clear strategy on the way
forward, she told the meeting.
The chief minister also asked the centre to release the legitimate financial dues to states.
Punjab
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh pitched for the extension of the coronavirus lockdown, but with a carefully crafted exit strategy backed by economic empowerment of states to save lives and secure livelihood.
The Punjab CM said in view of ‘escalating' virus cases, the continuation of the lockdown was needed.
According to a release, he said the states should be given greater flexibility in micro-planning.
The decision on designating red, orange/yellow and green zones should be left to the states, which are more cognizant of the ground realities, he said.
The exit strategy should consider and focus on fiscal and economic empowerment of the states, which are responsible for real action directly impinging upon the livelihood and social health of the common man, said the chief minister.
The chief minister said micro, small and medium enterprises should be allowed to function in red zones with proper safeguards.
Amarinder also demanded an urgent financial assistance to states to meet at least 33 per cent of their committed liabilities, along with revenue grants for three months to meet the shortfall in revenue and fund expenditure on tackling coronavirus.
The chief minister told the prime minister that Punjab was losing Rs 3,000 crore per month in revenue with the state power corporation's losses pegged at Rs 30 crore daily.
He reiterated the demand for an immediate release of the Punjab's GST arrears of Rs 4,365.37 crore.
The chief minister said in view of a complete change in the economic situation due to the pandemic, the 15th Finance Commission should review its report for the current year and recommend devolution of funds for five years beginning from April 1 next year, instead of the current year.
Amarinder urged the PM Modi to increase the borrowing limit under the Financial Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2005 from 3 per cent to 4 per cent of state GDP to enable states to meet their fiscal liabilities.
The chief minister also called for a national strategy on testing, saying he has already written to the prime minister to direct central institutions in Chandigarh and Punjab to increase their testing capacity.
Punjab has so far done 40,962 tests with the current rate of 2,500 tests per day, which the state government has planned to scale up to 6,000 tests by the month-end, he said.
The Punjab government has been fighting the coronavirus battle from the front and had successfully brought down the mortality rate in the state to 1.8 per cent, the CM said.
The rate of increase in cases is falling after having risen sharply in the past 10 days due to a large number of people returning from other states testing positive for the infection, he said.
He expressed confidence that the situation will improve in the coming week.
With four containment zones, Punjab currently has 1,823 cases (2.75 per cent of all-India cases), with 31 deaths, translating into the mortality rate of 1.70 per cent, he told the PM.
The CM requested for an early announcement of MSP on paddy and a bonus on non-burning of stubble.
Amarinder Singh said Punjab has procured 115 lakh MT of wheat with proper social distancing and hygiene protocols in place.
In terms of inbound movement of stranded people, the chief minister said around 56,000 persons from Punjab stuck in other states have registered with his government while around 20,000 Indian nationals returning from other countries.
The state government has made elaborate arrangements for their quarantine and testing, he said.