Shillong ( Meghalaya), April 6 : The Cabinet Meeting here today decided to enforce the closure of educational institutes till April 30 post the lockdown period, whereas Government offices will start functioning.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told media that the State Cabinet discussed at length the prevailing situation in Meghalaya amid the COVID-19 outbreak. He said that schools and educational institutes will remain closed till April 30 and the same will be reviewed depending on the prevailing situation in the entire North Eastern States.
Stating that April is the month of sowing seeds for farmers, he added that the Cabinet has decided to allow farmers to start their activities but they should abide the protocols laid down by the Health Department. He said, weekly markets will be allowed to open but have to follow the directives of the Health Department, while Government employees will rejoin their respective works from April 15.
He also mentioned that private vehicles will be allowed to ply and inter-district movement will also be allowed. He, however, said that interstate movement will still be restricted.
He urged people of Meghalaya who are stranded in different parts of the country to stay back in their respective places at-least till the end of this month.
Farmers in rural areas will be allowed to resume sowing activities with immediate effect. Strict protocols to be maintained as prescribed from time to time by the health department.
MGNREGA activities will be allowed to resume in respective villages in the State. Wages and the material components to the tune of Rs. 534.6573 crore has been sanctioned and released to the respective Block Development Offices for payment of wages and clearing the materials bills.
Construction works (viz. road construction, etc.) and other allied developmental programs sanctioned by the government in the last financial year is allowed to restart from the 15th of April 2020.
The Cabinet also decided to allow the reopening of weekly markets in rural areas from the 15th of April 2020, provided that strict ‘COVID-19’ protocols as prescribed by the health department are adhered to.
Private transportation will be allowed to resume from April 15 .
All Government offices to start functioning with full staff strength from April 15.
The Government will extend financial assistance to all wage earners, daily labourers and petty traders (unregistered daily wage earners) who are out of work during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’, under the Chief Minister’s Relief Against Wage Loss scheme for daily wage earners at the rate of Rs. 700 per week. The financial assistance will be transferred directly to the eligible beneficiary’s account. Beneficiaries already registered under Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW), job card holders under MGNREGA, muster roll workers of government departments, casual and contractual wage workers in government and semi government departments and registered farmers under ‘PM-KISAN’ are not entitled to receive benefits under the scheme.
The Cabinet today also discussed about the fate of citizens from Meghalaya both students and working citizens, numbering about 2192 individuals in total, who are staying at different parts of the country. Most of them had expressed their desire to come back to the State. Taking into account the safety of people in the State and the safety of the stranded citizens themselves, the Cabinet after a thorough discussion has decided to request the stranded citizens to refrain from travelling back home until the end of April 2020.(CMO)
