Help jobless poor amid corona lockdown: Congress leader Kapil Sibal

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal has reiterated his party's demand for financial help for the poor rendered jobless due to coronavirus scare in the country, demanding at least Rs 10,000 each to them.

Sibal tweeted: "When at war, respond on a war-footing."

The Congress MP urged the government to work fast and not wait for the calamity to reach its doors.

He said that though the shutdown is 'positive', many people were out of work, such as migrants, those working in the unorganised and other sectors, agricultural labour, unemployed, and daily-wagers, who should be provided Rs 10,000 each through Direct Benefit Transfer to overcome the crisis.

The Congress has already demanded a financial package for the poor.

Slamming the government for alleged ill-preparedness to tackle the coronavirus spread, the Congress on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the people what they should do, but didn't say what the government would do to contain the disease.

"We know the Prime Minister may announce a financial package, and we hope it will not be for his capitalist friends but for the poor, daily-wagers and other people who have lost their jobs," senior Congress spokesman Ajay Maken had tweeted.