Author: City Today News (City today.media)

• The government has passed an ordinance to protect medical staff, doctors, Asha workers and all other frontline Covid-19 workers in the wake of the recent incidents of attacks on them
• This comes soon after strong objections were registered by various medical associations including AHPI -TN urging the government to take strong action against perpetrators indulging in violence against medical professionals and their family members

April 23, 2020 – The government has passed an ordinance to protect medical staff, doctors, Asha workers and all other frontline Covid-19 workers in the wake of the recent incidents of attacks on them. This comes soon after strong objections were registered by various medical associations including the Tamil Nadu Chapter of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI -TN) urging the government to take strong action against perpetrators indulging in violence against medical professionals and their family members. Members of the AHPI-TN had requested that the Union Government enact a law with deterrent value for violence against the medical fraternity.

In a statement issued yesterday by the AHPI-TN President, Dr. S Gurushankar, he had requested the government to take swift pre-emptive action to make healthcare staff feel more secure, allowing them to dispense their duties without the fear of any ostracism or victimisation. In his earlier pleas which he has repeatedly made to the government to enact such a law, he has noted that more than 75 percent doctors across the country have faced some form of violence while discharging their duties and many even died after being assaulted in such a manner.

Commenting on the matter, Dr. S Gurushankar, President, Association of Healthcare Providers of India, Tamil Nadu Chapter (AHPI-TN), said: “We heartily welcome the fact that the government has taken cognizance of our plea and passed this ordinance. Incidents of violence against doctors were being reported almost on a daily basis across the country, even before COVID-19, with some resulting in grievous injuries. After the recent incident of denial of burial to Chennai based neurosurgeon Dr. Simon Hercules, who died after contracting coronavirus disease, the medical fraternity had reached the edge and was getting demoralised for not even being acknowledged for all their selfless work. This amendment will add much needed muscle to the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and finally protect doctors and the medical community from such unwarranted violence.”

Dr. Gurushankar has reiterated many a times in the past, even going to the extent of filing a petition in the Supreme Court to direct the government to pass laws to curb violence against doctors, that there is an urgent need to understand that vandalism and violence in a hospital or clinic is a criminal offence and any civilized society should have low tolerance for such heinous acts. “Till today, social and political leaders, instead of condemning such violence against doctors, tried to justify the situation. I am so relieved that finally, there is an ordinance in place that will provide adequate protection to doctors and their safety is no longer a trivial issue. However, this is only limited to the time while COVID-19 is prevalent. Once again, I will urge the government that they pass a law which goes beyond just epidemic situations and is a long-standing law providing adequate safety cover to members of the healthcare fraternity at all times,” he said.

As per the ordinance, anyone who attacks or discriminates against corona warriors, will face strict action, including a jail term ranging from 6 months to 7 years and a penalty up to Rs 5 lakh, depending on the gravity of the case. Such crime will now be cognizable and non-bailable and investigation will be done within 30 days. Accused can be sentenced from 3 months to 5 years and penalised between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 Lakh. If vehicles or clinics are damaged, then the accused will have to shell out a compensation amounting to twice the market value of the damaged property.

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 Massive Job Loss Looms Over Crores as COVID-19 Brings Tourism to A Standstill

 FAITH Appeals to the Govt of India for immediate Survival Package

·         Over 95% MSMEs of 53,000 travel agents, 1,15,000 Tour Operators (inbound, domestic, outbound), 15,000 Adventure, 2700 MICE, 19,11,000 Tourist Transporters, 53,000 hospitality and 5 lakh restaurants facing the heat due to lack of cash flows

·         COVID-19 Pandemic has jeopardized India’s once hailing 5 lakh crores tourism industry and employment of an estimated 3.8 crore jobs

April 23, 2020: Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) over the past six weeks has been appealing to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Tourism Minister, Commerce Minister, Aviation Minister, Niti Aayog and the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism and Reserve Bank of India. Indian Tourism industry, in 2018-19 handled business of over 10.5 million foreign tourists, more than 5million visiting NRIs, 1.8 billion domestic tourist visits & over 26 million outbound travellers. The industry is facing its biggest economic challenge with the larger and combined effect of 9/11 and the slowdown of 2009 and estimated bigger effect than the Economic Depression and World War II.

All the cash inflows of the industry have completely frozen and are likely to stay that way for the financial year 2020-21.  To address the issues of cash outflows, FAITH has recommended immediate measures for survival that need to be addressed parallelly.

·         A complete deferment for twelve months of all statutory dues payable by tourism, travel & hospitality industry at the Central Government level, state and municipal government level without attracting any penal interest. These would include GST, Advance Tax payments, PF, ESI, customs duties, excise fees, fixed power & water charges and any fees for licenses and renewal at the state level.

·         A support fund ‘Tourism COVID 19 Relief fund’ to be set up by RBI or Ministry of Finance or Tourism to support salaries and establishment costs. It should be either in the form of an interest free loan to Tourism companies for repayment of the principle over 10 years. The industry estimates the value of the fund to be minimum of Rs.50,000 crores which is almost equal to gross banking credit to the Indian Tourism industry.

·         RBI has already provided for three months moratorium on EMIs of principle and interest payments on loans and recalculation of working capital from Financial Institutions. This needs to be without any accrued and accumulated interest during this period and it needs to be extended for twelve months. 

To achieve the above FAITH recommends setting up National Tourism Task Force of all relevant ministries of the Central Government along with ministry of tourism and chief secretaries of State governments and industry stakeholders. This should be with legislative powers on the lines of GST council for state-wise standardized tourism response.

FAITH has also recommended that once the survival measures have been implemented then the measures for revival of Indian Tourism needs to be put in immediately. The Govt needs to stimulate domestic tourism by giving 200% weighted reduction of expenses to Indian corporates for undertaking their meeting, conferences, and exhibitions in India. LTA like income tax exemption of upto Rs.1.5 lakhs to Indians for undertaking their holidays with the country, these exemptions to be availed against invoices issued by GST registered Indian Tourism service providers.

To stimulate Tourism exports, SEIS needs to be notified at 10% value for all foreign exchange tourism companies and needs to be maintained at minimum same value for next 5 years and for off-season, it could go upto 15% value. To ensure the revival of Indian travel agent, all refunds, advances and cancellation amounts to be immediately paid back by all airlines, railways and state wildlife parks.

The TCS on travel agent proposed in the finance bill 2020 to be implemented on October 1, should be completely abolished as it puts the Indian travel fraternity at a huge disadvantage of upto 15% v/s their global competitors. Additionally, the service fee for credit card charges needs to below 1% and all corporate travel agent credit cards to be honored. To additionally ensure the survival of Indian tourist transporters, all inter-state levy need to be reduced and standardized. The year 2020-21 can be declared as a GST tax holiday for Indian tourism without stopping the flow of Input tax credits since there will be minimal GST collections from highly reduced travel within India.

FAITH urges the Government to declare immediate survival measures to prevent mass bankruptcy and crores of unprecedented layoffs. Worldover, countries have already put in support measures for Tourism industry through salary support and tax waiver such as USA, UK, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia and many others.

City Today News

(citytoday.media)

9341997936

City Today News

(citytoday.media)

9341997936