Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union minister Amit Shah met on Wednesday. (File) (File)
New Delhi:
Interior Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will meet with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal this morning to review the nation’s response to the coronavirus, two days after the Supreme Court fired the Delhi government over the “horrible, horrible and pathetic” situation in the city. The meeting comes amid a spike in COVID-19 infections in the nation’s capital, which has the third highest number of virus cases in India after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
It was the second meeting between Amit Shah and Arvind Kejriwal in less than a week during the pandemic. Today’s meeting, which begins at 11 a.m., will also feature the participation of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and members of the SDMA ( State Disaster Management Authority), the Union Home Minister’s office tweeted on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Amit Shah, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and other ministers on Saturday to discuss the increase in COVID-19 infections in the country, the fourth country hardest hit by the pandemic. They discussed the situation in States and Union territories, including Delhi, where cases of coronavirus have increased.
On Friday, the Supreme Court criticized the Delhi government for managing the epidemic as it sought an answer to the drop in coronavirus testing in the city. Denouncing the AAP government for failing to follow the directives of the Union’s Ministry of Health, the supreme court said: “The situation in Delhi is horrible, horrible and pathetic. (There is) a very sorry situation in its hospitals that do not provide the necessary care and concern for the bodies. “He also sent notices to the center, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Minister of the Interior, Shri @AmitShah and Minister of Health, @drharshvardhan hold a meeting with @LtGovDelhi, CM Delhi and SDMA members will review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The director of the AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present.
– गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 13, 2020
“COVID-19 patients are treated worse than animals. In one case, a body was found in the trash,” said the court. So far, the nation’s capital has recorded approximately 38,958 cases and approximately 1,214 illness-related deaths, which have strained the health infrastructure, even though the head of government has repeatedly stated that the city was ready to fight the pandemic.
Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Wednesday that the Union’s interior minister “was assured of all cooperation” as they met a few hours after the head of the Delhi government said orders from the lieutenant governor Anil Baijal reversing his government’s decisions on the coronavirus would be strictly followed, no doubt.
Lt. Gov. Anil Baijal, who represents the center, earlier this week overturned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s decision to reserve hospitals, except those managed by the center for Delhi residents. He also reversed his decision to test only those with symptoms of COVID-19 and said that asymptomatic cases and high-risk contacts of a viral patient will also be tested.
Kejriwal said the city would soon run out of beds if COVID-19 patients continued to come from all over India to its hospitals, drawing criticism that it was unethical. Baijal, who has often run into Mr. Kejriwal and his leaders, said that refusing treatment simply because someone was not a resident of the capital would be legally prohibited.
“This is not the time for politics. This is not the time for disagreements,” the Prime Minister of Delhi said on Wednesday after a negative test for the coronavirus.
The increase in the number of virus cases in Delhi, which is expected to reach 5.5 lakh cases by July 31, is reflected by a similar increase in coronavirus cases nationwide. Across India, more than 3 lakh are affected by the pandemic, more than 8,000 have died.
