india.com : Apr 14, 2020, 09:51 AM
New Delhi: As the Central government is planning to extend the lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday evening suggested some measures to the Centre, saying the lockdown needs a ‘smart’ upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing the businesses to gradually reopen in the country.Taking to Twitter, the Congress MP said that the one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners across the country.“The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners. It needs a ‘smart’ upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen,” Rahul said.On April 12, the Congress leader had said that the economic slowdown has weakened Indian corporates and urged the Centre to ensure that no foreign interests take control of any such corporate at a time when the country is fighting the COVID-19 crisis.The statement from the Congress came after reports surfaced that some foreign institutions had bought stakes in Indian companies in the wake of the stock market downturn.“The massive economic slowdown has weakened many Indian corporates making them attractive targets for takeovers. The government must not allow foreign interests to take control of any Indian corporate at this time of national crisis,” he had said in a tweet.Moreover, media reports suggested that China’s central bank has bought 1.01 per cent stake in Housing Development Finance Corporation, India’s biggest housing mortgage lender.The development comes as the death toll due to coronavirus jumped to 324 and the number of cases in the country climbed to 9,352 on Monday, an increase of 905 since Sunday evening.