Coronavirus death toll up to 61 with three more fatalities in Rajasthan

Yash Goyal

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, May 1

Three persons, including a woman, died of coronavirus on Friday, taking the death toll in Rajasthan to 61.

A 26-year-old woman of Basni, Nagaur, died with suspected co-morbidity and pregnancy complication at PBM hospital in Bikaner, while two men, aged 32 and 62, died in Jaipur.

The number of coronavirus casualties in Jaipur went up to 36. There have been seven deaths in Jodhpur, six in Kota, two each in Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Sikar and Nagaur, and one each in Nimbahera, Bikaner, Alwar and Tonk.

Out of the 900 patients who have recovered, 644 have been discharged from hospitals in the state. The tally of the infected cases has risen to 2617, with 33 new cases since Thursday night, a state medical bulletin said.

Quarantine for migrant labourers

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has directed the district collectors to make arrangements for the safe return of migrant labourers and develop quarantine facilities for the labourers in all 33 districts.

In a video conference last night, the CM said that out of the 10 lakh registered migrants working, at least 70 percent will return to the state. The CM told the district collectors that they should coordinate with the Railways and the Centre.

Over 6 lakh stranded Rajasthani migrant workers have registered to return to the state through various platforms created by the state government, an official said.

MGNREGA workers

Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said that about 11 lakh MGNREGA workers were engaged in Rajasthan, making the state second in the country in providing employment to workers.

Looking at the current situation, due to the lockdown, there were lesser employment opportunities, and MGNREGA was a source through which people living in villages could be provided financial help, Pilot said.

‘Open liquor shops’

Two Congress MLAs and one former BJP legislator have demanded that the state government must open the liquor shops.

In a letter to the CM, Congress’s Bharat Singh expressed his concern in the manufacturing and sale of illegal country-made liquor and urged him to grant permission to open liquor shops in the state.

Referring to the recent incident of hooch deaths in Halena village in Bharatpur, another Congress MLA, Balwan Singh, and BJP leader Bhawani Singh Rajawat also demanded opening of the liquor shops, adding that it would also boost the economy.