I&PRD Bulletin :
Thiruvananthapuram, April 13: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today demanded the inclusion of State Relief Funds to be made eligible for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding by making changes to the Companies Act.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, “The Government of Kerala is on the opinion that contributions to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Funds should be included as an eligible expenditure under CSR. In a federal setup, the Relief Funds set up by the States for a public purpose cannot be excluded from the eligibility criteria when the same is available for a Central Fund set up with similar objectives and aims. In a letter to the Prime Minister, I have requested his intervention to correct this inequality which against the principles underlying cooperative federalism and adds to the fiscal stress of the States. Necessary changes may be brought in to the Companies Act to include CMDRF also eligible for CSR funding.”
The CM once again reiterated the demand of the State Government to bring back stranded Keralites from overseas. The Centre should send special aircraft to bring back people who went aboard on temporary/short-term, visiting visas, and those requiring medical treatment back home. This should be done by following the international travel protocol laid by WHO. The State Government will conduct the testing of these people once they are back and quarantine them, if necessary. “We will extend all possible help and support to the Pravasi Malayalees when they come back also including rehabilitation of those who would lose their jobs in the backdrop of the pandemic outbreak.”
The Chief Minister also informed that a decision on extending the lockdown or giving exemptions in the State would be decided tomorrow after knowing about the decision of the Central Government through the address of the Prime Minister.
Minister of Health and Social Justice, Smt K K Shailaja Teacher; Revenue Minister, Shri E Chandrasekharan, and Chief Secretary, Shri Tom Jose IAS were also present during the media briefing.
*Kerala Covid-19 Tracker*
*19 recoveries & three new cases today, total patients under treatment 178*
Thiruvananthapuram, April 13: Only three fresh cases of the Coronavirus infection were reported in Kerala today even as the results of 19 patients under treatment came as negative. Two of the new cases are from Kannur district and one from Palakkad district. While two are cases of local transmission, one has returned back from overseas.
12 patients from Kasargod district, three each from Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts, and one from Kannur district are the patients who have recovered from Covid-19 and tested negative.
Till date, there have been a total of 378 confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection in Kerala and 178 patients are currently under treatment in different hospitals across the State.
As on today, there are 1,12,183 persons totally under surveillance in the State. Of these, 1,11,468 are isolated at their homes and 715 are in the isolation wards in hospitals. 86 persons were hospitalised today. So far, 15,683 samples from people with symptoms have been sent for testing and 14,829 have tested negative with no infection.
Briefing the media about the Covid-19 situation in the State, Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan said, “There is good progress in testing as presently we are doing up to 1,000 samples per day as against the 650 earlier but we are facing delay in procuring the testing kits, both directly and through the Central Government. The people of Kerala deserve the credit for abiding by the lockdown and containing the spread of the outbreak. The present circumstance where the number of new cases is coming down and the recoveries are going up is a matter of relief but that does not demand us to give relaxations.”
The CM also announced that several private hospitals in the State have offered their infrastructure and manpower to be used as in the fight against Coronavirus, as Covid prevention care centres or quarantine facilities
