<span style="color: #222222;">Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today said a lot of deaths due to COVID 19 pandemic have been avoided due to early lockdown in the country. The Minister said capacity building was done on a war footing to deal with the challenges emanating from the pandemic. Replying to a discussion on COVID 19 pandemic in the country, he said it was NDA government's wisdom that it had made a provision of giving 50 lakh rupees insurance to frontline workers in the fight against the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Dr Harsh Vardhan said Centre made all efforts to enable migrant workers to reach their destinations. He said adequate number of oxygen cylinders and ventilators were provided to all states and UTs. He said lockdown period was utilised so that all mechanisms to deal with the pandemic were in place and dedicated COVID facilities could be set up.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Initiating the discussion, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that most of the countries across the world have either managed to keep its country safe from the virus at the cost of their economy or have kept the economy running while experiencing the onslaught of the disease. He said, the spread of the virus has affected the economy of the country and the government should have taken measures to keep the economy afloat. He said, GDP will shrink for the first time in 41 years.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">BJP leader Kirit Solanki highlighted the various steps taken by the Centre to check the spread of coronavirus. He also said the government has also taken care of the vulnerable and poor sections of society by providing financial assistance in the wake of the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran criticised the government for imposing lockdown abruptly.</span><br />