New Delhi, May 3 (KNN) The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Monday called for a national lockdown to deal with COVID-19 pandemic.

The traders’ body conducted an online survey where majority of people have expressed their opinion for imposition of a "national lock-down" and in context of Delhi, people want a Union Minister to be nominated as a nodal Minister to supervise COVID operations in Delhi.

 ''CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal today urge Prime Minister Narender Modi to immediately impose a national lockdown in the country in order to protect people from COVID,'' CAIT said a statement.

The CAIT further said that if the proposal of national lockdown does not find any favour, then as an alternative a complete lockdown must be imposed in all such states where corona is rising in a speedy way.

''The CAIT has also assured the Prime Minister that in the event of a national lock down, the trading community across the Country will not lag behind in maintaining supply chain of essential items, as the CAIT did last year at the time of lockdown,'' the statement read.

Bhartia and Khandelwal informed that in the survey conducted by CAIT which was participated by 9117 people across the Country, 78.2 per cent people have said agreed that Corona has become uncontrollable whereas 67.5 per cent people have advocated for a national lockdown and 73.7 per cent of the people believe that Prime Minister is capable of dealing with the Corona crisis.

In reference to Delhi 82.6 per cent have agreed that nomination of a Union Minister as nodal Minister for Delhi will be able to deal with the pandemic in an effective manner.

Both the leaders further said that at present more than 4 lakh people are getting infected every day from the COVID across the country and in proportion to the same, the medical system is not available which needs to be fixed immediately, and for achieving the same, a breathing time is required and for that purpose as well the national lockdown is the only option.

This step will prevent the growing number of corona cases. The community transmission of the COVID needs to be stopped at any cost. Increase in death rate is also a major concern for everybody. A national lockdown is the only solution in the present circumstances, the statement added.

The duo also said that traders are the biggest sufferers of any lock-down, but still considering "Nation First" as our first duty, we are demanding a lock-down from Prime Minister Modi.

They also said that in case of lock-down, the government would have to suspend the liability of GST, income tax and other taxes and other statutory obligations.

''For the time being, the banks should be directed to postpone the recovery of interest or EMIs or other financial liabilities towards the traders and the government should give financial assistance to pay the salary of the employees who are working with the traders,'' they added.

Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said that at present the condition of Delhi is very bad and worrisome. Delhi government is directionless and unable to deal with the corona epidemic. Multiple Government and administrative bodies have great lack of coordination. Every day one hospital or the other is crying for lack of oxygen and people are running door to door to get medical facilities.

 ''It looks that the Delhi government does not even have a concrete plan to deal with Corona. In view of this situation, it is very important to immediately control the situation in Delhi and in accordance of the same, the Central Government should take Delhi in its charge, for the time being and one Union Minister should be made the nodal Minister in charge of Delhi under whom all government bodies, private Agencies and other groups can collectively work as a team to eradicate the COVID epidemic from Delhi under a structured plan,'' the statement quoted them as saying.