Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday listed a number of austerity measures to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prioritise funds for the fight against the coronavirus.
Sonia reiterated her party's support for the Modi government's move to reduce the salaries of all MPs by 30 per cent, emphasising, "Austerity measures, which can be used to divert much needed funds to the fight against COVID-19, are the need of the hour." Sonia proceeded to list five "concrete" suggestions to Modi.
As the first suggestion, Sonia asked Modi to impose a "complete ban on media advertisements-television, print and online-by the Government and public sector undertakings (PSUs) for a period of two years", noting that the Centre "currently spend an average of Rs 1,250 crore per year on media advertisements". Noting that this would free up funds for the fight against COVID-19, Sonia said the only exceptions should be "advisories for COVID-19 or for issues relating to public health".
Sonia then sough the suspension of the Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista project to beautify the Parliament and government complexes. Sonia argued, "At a time like this, such an outlay seems self-indulgent to say the least. I am certain that Parliament can function comfortably within the existing historical buildings. There is no urgent or pressing requirement that cannot be postponed until this crisis is contained." Sonia noted the money saved from suspending the Central Vista project could be channelled for buying personal protective equipment and other infrastructure for hospitals.
As a third suggestion, Sonia sought "a proportionate reduction of 30 per cent in the expenditure budget (other than salaries, pensions and Central sector schemes) for the Government of India”, noting such a cut would free up about Rs 2.5 lakh crore annually. She said this could be "allocated towards establishing an economic safety net for migrant workers, labourers, farmers, MSMEs and those in the unorganised sector".
Sonia then suggested putting on hold all foreign trips of the prime minister, president, Union and state ministers and bureaucrats, with exceptions only for national emergencies. She wrote the amount saved "(which is around ₹393 crore for just the prime minister’s and Union cabinet’s trips in the last five years) can be utilised extensively in measures to combat COVID-19”.
Finally, Sonia sought a transfer of all money from the PM CARES fund to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. She argued, "This will ensure efficiency, transparency, accountability and audit in the manner in which these funds are allocated and spent. It seems like a waste of effort and resources to have and create two separate silos for the distribution of funds. I understand that ₹3,800 crore approximately are lying unutilised in the PM-NRF (at the end of FY2019)."