Telugu Desam Party National President and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus package, saying that preparing people mentally for challenges being thrown by Coronavirus has assumed utmost importance all over the world nowadays. He pointed out that by enforcing lockdowns strictly, it was possible for the Government to effectively check the virus spread in the country. The world has turned upside down both economies and people’s lives so much so that unemployment has increased manifold, farmers suffering losses, industries fallen sick and livelihoods disrupted.

Addressing the party’s online politburo meeting here, the TDP Chief said that international studies would now look at how the world has changed before, during and after COVID-19 pandemic. If effective preventive measures are not taken, the deadly virus will cause greater damage and loss than expected. If rulers do not deal with the situation efficiently, people will lose heavily. Mr. Naidu listed out how restrictions were being progressively eased from Lockdown 1.0 to the coming Lockdown 4.0. On behalf of the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation (GFST), five letters have been written to Prime Minister’s Office and Niti Aayog. As a responsible political party, the TDP has been discussing with experts and making suggestions on public policies.

Stating that TDP always put people’s well-being on top priority for last 4 decades, Mr. Naidu said that the national level committee under the leadership of TDP during Vajpayee’s rule made such ground-breaking recommendations that brought about land-mark developments in telecommunications sector. Big changes came in insurance sector and micro irrigation received a boost thanks to recommendations made by the committee concerned. The TDP chief asserted that their party had triggered a nationwide debate on the inter-linking of rivers and its contributions led to increased digital payments after demonetization.