Grant relief to Chhattisgarh,Baghel tells Sitharaman

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghelhas urged Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman togrant relief to small and mediumbusinessmen of Chhattisgarh inview of their problems after thestate was declared a ‘containmentzone’.On a request of the ChhattisgarhChamber of Commerce andIndustries (CCCI), the ChiefMinister has asked the Minister topostpone the due date of filingvarious returns in April and May,an official communication said onMonday.Baghel also requested the Ministerto consider the extension by atleast three months the deadlinefor principal and interest install-ments against business loans.As a final and effective measure tocontain the second and more fatalCovid pandemic in Chhattisgarh,all the districts including Raipurhave been declared containmentzones from April 9 to May 6. Subsequently, the economic andbusiness activities have beenaffected. As a result,

small andmedium category businessmenare facing financial crises. The Chhattisgarh Chamber ofCommerce and Industries hasdemanded certain immediaterelief to help them overcome thiscrisis, stated the official commu-nication.The Chief Minister has mentionedthat cash flow of business andindustries has got adversely affect-ed. Hence, businessmen are hav-ing an extremely tough timereturning the principal and inter-est amount against the businessloans taken from banks and finan-cial institutions.