New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday raised questions over the Aarogya Setu mobile application launched by the Centre to tackle coronavirus, alleging it is a "sophisticated surveillance system outsourced to a private operator, with no institutional oversight".
In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said: "The Aarogya Setu application is a sophisticated surveillance system outsourced to a private operator, with no institutional oversight -- raising serious data security and privacy concerns. Technology can help keep us safe; but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent."
The government on Friday had extended the nationwide lockdown by two more weeks to May 17.
The Home Ministry in the notification had made the use of contact tracing application Aarogya Setu mandatory in containment zones and for all public and private entity employees.
The central government has also made it compulsory for all its employees to download the application and urged private entities to also ask their respective employees to use it.
Lay down lockdown exit map:Congress
Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must come forward and address the countrymen to enlighten them on the way ahead in dealing with the coronavirus and economic situation.
Asking when the lockdown will finally end, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the prime minister must also lay out the exit strategy from it and spell out the goalpost in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and economy.
Surjewala said the home ministry issued an order late on Friday evening, extending the lockdown till May 17, but neither the prime minister nor the home minister came forward to address the nation.
The Congress also posed a set of five questions to the government and a set of seven suggestions, including some they have already made to support migrant labourers, provide food and cash to the poor.
Some of the questions posed by Congress include:
•What is the thought and policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the nation?
•What is the roadmap not only for harvesting and grant of MSP to the farmers, but also for the sowing of the next kharif crops and availability of fertilisers, seeds, and pesticides?
•What are the arrangements for ensuring livelihood and ration for over 40 crore urban and rural poor and labourers and what is the relief package for the 4.25 crore micro, small and medium industries (MSMEs) generating 11 crore jobs.
•How do you propose to ensure jobs and pay protection for middle-class and salaried people?
•What is the strategy for revival and restarting the tourism and hotel industry, textile industry, construction industry, automobile and IT industry, transport and aviation industry and other such sectors?
•What is the timeline for a safe and time-bound return of nearly eight to 10 crore migrant labourers?
Solutions suggested by Congress
•Ensure free travel in sanitised trains of the lakhs of stranded migrant labourers within 15 days and this should be treated as its first responsibility.
•India's poor, labourers, farmers must be given Rs 7,500 through DBT in their Jan Dhan accounts, PM Kisan Yojana accounts, MGNREGA labourers accounts as also in the account of every senior citizen, widow, physically-handicapped person.
•10 kg of foodgrains (wheat or rice), one kg of pulses and half-a-kg of sugar per person must be given to every family for sustenance.
•The entire crop of farmers must be procured at MSP and the payment made within 24 hours. Besides, the entire outstanding amount, be it of the sugarcane farmers or other farmers, be cleared within seven days. All recoveries from farmers should be deferred for a year and the interest waived
•Rs 2 lakh crore salary and credit package for the MSMEs
