*Governor highlights the role of chamber of commerce and industry in Covid-19 crisis mitigation

 Hyderabad, Aug 12: Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday exhorted the commerce and industry leaders to intensify their efforts in mitigating the crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic and support the government.

She said that the commerce and industry sector was showing lot of resilience in overcoming the crisis and has been sustaining the livelihoods of the millions of people.

The Governor was participating as the chief guest in the video conference organised by the Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) from the Raj Bhavan, here, on the topic of “Strategic interventions of Central and State governments for the mitigation of Covid-19 Crisis.”

Referring to the strategic interventions by the Central government, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan pointed out that  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken ‘right decisions at the right time’ to contain the spread of Covid-19 and thus saved many precious lives.

The Governor said that the India, which faced the shortage of PPE kits and other equipment, is now exporting PPE kits, N95 masks, ventilators and other life saving medicines to various other countries through the sustained efforts of the government.

“India is conducting around 7 lakh Covid-19 tests a day and it will soon achieve the target of carrying out at least 10 lakh tests a day. The governments are implementing three-pronged strategy of aggressive testing, comprehensive tracing and efficient treatment,” she added.

Suggesting the new mantra of testing, testing and more testing, Dr. Soundararajan said that early detection; contact tracing and isolation would reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread.

Expressing anguish over the non-compliance of preventive measures like maintaining physical distance and mandatory wearing of mask even by a section of politicians, the Governor said that wearing of masks would effectively prevent the spread of virus by at least 80 per cent.

“Rs 20 lakh crore relief Atma Nirbhar package, special emphasis on MSME and agriculture sectors and welfare of migrant labourers were some of the major interventions of the governments,” she pointed out

FTCCI president Ramakanth Inani urged the Governor to impress upon the governments to chalk out roadmap for economic revival soon.

He said that FTCCI in association with the FICCI and ASCI has set up a think tank titled Centre for Monitoring Covid to research, analyze and create awareness on different areas related to Covid-19 in Telangana.

FTCCI chief added that Indian pharmaceutical companies, especially those from Hyderabad, are producing affordable medicines and vaccines to fight against this pandemic.

He stated that a report titled “Forecasting Covid-19 Pandemic in Telangana State” and its recommendations on action plan was submitted to the Telangana Government.”

FTCCI representatives Bhaskar Reddy, Khyati Naravane, past presidents and other members were present.