New Delhi [India], Mar 16 : Congress leader and former union minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the Centre is not doing enough to prevent a mass outbreak of the coronavirus in the country and urged for a video conference between the Prime Minister and chief ministers of various states.
"The government is not doing enough on coronavirus. I have no quarrels if the Prime Minister wants a meeting with the SAARC or G-20 countries it may have some benefits. But the question is whether we are behind or ahead of the curve. My feeling is that the states are taking better measures whereas the Centre is very diffident. There should be a video conference between the Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers," Chidambaram told here.
"The rate at which the infection is galloping is worrying. Last week the number (of those infected) was around 32 and this Sunday the number has reached 107. And there are many others who are not presenting themselves for testing because there are not enough testing facilities, these are the matters which the government should address," he added.
The Rajya Sabha MP further slammed the government for increasing the excise duty on petrol and diesel.
"Sensex is just one indicator, while its decline should worry us we should ask more fundamental questions. What has the government done today, it has increased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre. The transport industry is already down because of low demand and their earnings are down already," Chidambaram said.
"This is not the time to suppress demand, it is the time to stimulate. The government is doing exactly the opposite," he added.
A total of 110 cases of coronavirus, including 17 foreign nationals, have been confirmed across India, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.
( With inputs from ANI )