Telangana reported 11 new cases of coronavirus on May 6, taking its total COVID-19 infections to 1,107. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which reported most cases in the state, recorded all the eleven new cases, while other districts reported none.
Twenty people are discharged in the last 24 hours as per the health bulletin, taking the recoveries to 648, leaving 430 cases active.
Telangana has reported 29 deaths from coronavirus so far.
KTR writes to Central Minister
Telangana Minister K. Taraka Rama Rao, whose multiple portfolios include ‘Industries and Commerce,’ wrote to Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers D.V.Sadananda Gowda, to highlight “the challenges faced by the pharmaceutical industry and (to make) some recommendations to help the Industry.”
While highlighting Telangana’s prominence in the pharma industry by reminding that 35 percent of entire national production (in the pharma sector) happens in Telangana, the Minister asked the center to ease the financial stress for over 800 Life Sciences companies that employ 120,000 people in the state.
Asking the center to expedite income tax and GST refunds to the companies, Minister KTR pointed out that 80 percent of the pharma sector comprises Medium and Small companies (MSME). Mr. Rama Rao had also asked the center to offer incentives, facilitate logistics to counter China’s reported 13 percent incentive offer to its companies to promote exports.
Minister KTR’s letter is in line with what the Chief Minister had said on May 5, about the potential to seize a unique opportunity after the crisis to attract more investments in manufacturing and production.
But KTR’s letter to Delhi also comes a day after CM KCR lashed out at Delhi in the clearest terms.
Chief Minister lashes out at Delhi
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao vented his frustration at Delhi on May 5. The CM hadn’t been this forthcoming in criticism in recent times.
A visibly vexed Chief Minister called the central government ‘unresponsive’ to the state’s needs and wondered if any ego (Bheshajam) prevents them from responding to the state’s feedback. The CM promised complete resistance to the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill that would allow privatising the ‘Discoms’ and neutralising the state government’s control over subsidising electricity. In effect, that would make it challenging to offer ‘free electricity.’
Flattening of the Curve
Telangana is witnessing a flattening of the curve, said the Chief Minister, but it needs to be ‘crushed to zero,’ he said.
Extending the lockdown up to May 29, and explaining the daily health bulletin himself, the Chief Minister chose to discuss Telangana’s handling of the coronavirus at length.
The CM praised Karimnagar’s response to the coronavirus situation and showered appreciation for the local officials and public representatives.
The CM claimed that Karimnagar had first used the ‘Containment’ strategy even before Delhi had learned of such a word. The central government ‘didn’t have ten kits to deal with the Pandemic,’ as everyone was caught off guard, but Telangana had managed to refurbish some old equipment, he said. By any parameter, Telangana was doing a better job, the CM declared.
As per the protocol, the Health Minister will write to the center soon, and more ‘Orange Zones’ will turn ‘Green,’ said the Chief Minister. But he cautioned people in all the zones to wear masks or to wrap a towel around their face, and to follow ‘Physical Distancing.’ The CM suggested that people replace using the words ‘social distancing’ with ‘physical distancing,’ as the former terminology didn’t sound good.
Finds fault with the Congress
Irked with the PCC Chief Uttam Kumar Reddy’s complaint to the Governor, the CM asked if more tests would bring out more positive cases.
Appropriate testing is being done, asserted the Chief Minister, while condemning what he called “dirty politics.”
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