CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said the unemployment rate due to Covid-19 has come down to one-sixth within two months in Tamil Nadu and that the State has been recovering quickly from the economic impact caused by Covid-19.
Speaking at the District Collectors' meeting through video conference from the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said surveys had highlighted that the welfare schemes of the State government had reached the people and that cushioned them from the impact on the economy.
Despite Corona-related developments and the lockdown, the State government has signed MoUs for 42 new projects with an investment of Rs 31,464 crore which would generate employment opportunities for 69,712 persons. Tamil Nadu has been on the top in attracting investments during the period from April to June.
He also pointed out that this year, the procurement of paddy which stood at around 23 lakh metric tonnes per year has gone up to 30 lakh metric tonnes.
Tamil Nadu has contained the Covid-19 infection due to the concerted efforts taken by the District Collectors and the frontline workers. However, the infection could be prevented only if the people extend full support to the measures taken by the government. While the GDP remains at four percent at the national level, in Tamil Nadu, it stands at 8%.
“The State government has so far spent Rs.7,162 crore towards prevention of the spread of Corona infection, treatment and relief works. At the State level, in Covid-19 hospitals, 58,840 beds and 77,223 beds special Covid-19 care centres are ready. Besides, 26,801 beds with oxygen facilities are also ready to accommodate Covid-19 patients. There are 4,782 beds with ICU facility and 5,718 ventilators are ready. Besides, 2,882 ventilators are ready for Covid-19 treatment alone,” he added.
Palaniswami said the State has the highest number of labs (146) in the country and so far, the RTPCR test has been conducted for 45.73 lakh persons, and around 75,000 samples were being tested per day.
Life-saving drugs like Tocilizumab 400mg, Remdesvir 100 mg, Enoxaparin 40mg have been procured and sent to all government hospitals. “Recovery rate is highest in Tamil Nadu (85.45 percent) while the mortality rate has been the lowest in the country (1.7 percent),” he added.
The Chief Minister further said that so far, 4,24,394 migrant labourers have been sent back to their native States safely from Tamil Nadu while 80,779 Tamils living in foreign countries have been brought to the state using Vande Bharat and Samudra Sethu schemes. He also advised that while doing the RTPCR test, the results should be declared on a priority basis for senior citizens and those who have co-morbidities.
The Chief Minister said at present, the government has been providing good food to the Covid-19 patients at government hospitals, "But we have to continue providing them quality, tasty and nutritious food, and the District Collectors and Health Department should ensure this.