‘Only over 8K cases in UP against their grim projection of over 70,000 cases’
Claiming to have proved experts wrong UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that because of the effective measures taken by the Government there are only over 8,000 corona positive cases in Uttar Pradesh against experts’ grim projection of over 70,000 cases by the end of May.
“The experts had claimed that by the end of May total corona positive cases in UP would be over 70,000. But, where we stand on June 3? Today, we have over 8,000 positive cases of which around 5,000 have recovered and technically the State of 23 crore has just 3,000 positive cases. Similarly at the national level the total cases are over 2 lakh whereas the experts had claimed there would be 32 lakh cases at this juncture,” Yogi told The Pioneer here on Wednesday.
“We are set to prove experts wrong again. Some are saying that as the corona pandemic is yet to touch peak in India it was wrong to unlock at this stage. They say the figures will skyrocket now. But because of awareness created among the masses, strengthening of the health system and the support the Government got from all section of the society, including the religious leaders, we will again prove these experts wrong.”
To buttress his point he said that the virus struck both India and the United States at around the same time. The US has better healthcare facilities but the pandemic devastated it while India was able to control the spread (of disease) better. The number of positive cases in India is over 2 lakh while the USA has 17 lakh positive cases and the death toll in India is over 5,000 while in the US it is over 1 lakh.
“It is all about management. We took timely steps to keep the cases low,” he said and added: “Alertness and awareness about the pandemic has kept the figure down,” he said.
He admitted that containing this disease was a financial strain and said in April there was shortage of funds to meet the Government expenses.
“But in May the revenue collection started and we were able to earn Rs 6,000 crore against Rs 15,000 crore required to meet the monthly expense of the Government,” he said.
“Despite the financial strain UP was able to pay salaries to its employees in April and in May. By June, with economic activities gaining grounds we will be able to generate more resources as all arms of economy are working now,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath made it clear that his Government was committed to serve the people and would provide jobs to the migrants, who have returned to the State during the lockdown. “We have made data of the skilled and unskilled migrant workers and process have started to give them jobs,” he said claiming that around 32 lakh migrant workers and their family members have returned to the State.
“Every youth will get opportunity in the State and the Government will ensure that they get job as per their skill and ability,” he said.
Hitting out at Opposition parties he said that they are spreading canards because “they are not aware of the ground realities and are discussing the pandemic sitting in their air-conditioned drawing rooms.”
He said this crisis was a challenge for us. “We used this challenge to strengthen our health system. He said virus testing facilities have been increased from 10,000 samples a day sometime back to 15,000 samples at present and added that by the end of this month, it will be 20,000 samples daily.
Beds at the Covid hospitals have gone up to over one lakh. The health facilities at the district level have improved and now every district will have Covid testing machines. Besides, non-Covid hospitals too have started surgeries and attending emergency patients,” he said.
When asked about the opening of the religious places, restaurants and shopping malls from June 8, he said that the Government was waiting for the Centre’s guideline and thereafter the State would release its own guidelines before allowing the religious and other activities.
