Congress' online protest today over Centre's slew of decisions

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will hold an online nationwide protest on Thursday against certain decisions taken by the Central government during the lockdown period.

Addressing a press meet through video conferencing, Bora said around 40 lakh Congress workers and supports will take part in the protest from 11 am to 2 pm. In Assam, the APCC will hold the protest through various social media platforms.

The president said that the party has a slew of demands from the Central government. He argued that the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is for the businessmen, industries and MSMEs. The package will not benefit the common people directly, he said. The party demanded that the people who have been affected by the lockdown should be given Rs 7,500 by the Centre for six consecutive months. It demanded that Rs 10,000 should be released for every affected family as a first installment of the total amount. The APCC demanded that the government should take initiative to facilitate the stranded people to Assam at their own cost. "Assam government's response to stranded people has been very slow. Only 1.5 lakh people have arrived to the State and 20 around lakh are yet to arrive. They should be brought at the government's expense," said Bora.

Further, he underlined that the working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) should be extended to 200 days instead of 100 days. 

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