Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday directed officials to ensure that a responsible person is deployed at the site where works are being executed by the Government agencies to maintain social distancing amongst the workers besides providing them masks.
Holding video conference in wake of coronavirus with all the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police and Chief Medical Officers of the State from Shimla, the The Chief Minister said that plying of private vehicles for emergency services including medical emergency must be allowed even without curfew passes. He said only two persons are allowed in private vehicle whereas four persons in official vehicle including driver.
Thakur said the State Government was ensuring smooth plying of trucks and other private carriage carrying essential commodities and vegetables to ensure adequate availability of essential commodities in the State. He said vehicles should be sanitized and drivers and conductor should be medically checked up. He directed the officers to keep constant check on hoarding and profiteering and strict action against erring shopkeepers.
He asked the officers that farmers should be allowed to harvest their crops and motivating for adopting social distancing while working in the fields. He said that steps must also be taken for procurement of their produce so that they do not face any inconvenience due to imposition of curfew. He said that shops dealing with farming inputs should be allowed to open to facilitate the farmers and horticulturists.
Thakur said that there would be complete restriction on inter-district and intra-district movement and no vehicle, except permitted by the Government, would ply during the curfew. He said that hot spots of coronavirus would be sealed and with no relaxation in curfew in these areas. He said that individual movement would not be allowed in the State except in seriousness nature of cases.
The Chief Minister said that over 70 lakh people have been covered under the Active Case Finding Campaign and out of these about 10,000 persons have been identified with ILI symptoms. He said that till date, 700 such persons have been examined and rests have been kept under observation.
He said the State Government is concerned about the people of the State stranded outside and is in constant touch with these people and the respective State Governments have been requested to ensure their proper care. He urged such people to remain wherever they are as the Government would ensure their early return as soon as the situation normalizes.
Chief Secretary Anil Khachi said that guidelines of Union Government regarding relaxation in few activities would be strictly adhered to. Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Director General of Police S.R. Mardi, Additional Chief Secretaries Manoj Kumar and R.D. Dhiman, Principal Secretaries J.C. Sharma and Sanjay Kundu also attended the meeting.
DISTRIBUTION OF TAKE HOME RATION TO ALL ENROLLED BENEFICIARIES
The Anganwari Centres (AWCs) in Himachal have been closed by the State Government owing to Covid-19. However, during this lockdown, the supplementary nutrition is being distributed by the Anganwari Workers as take home ration to all children in the age group of six month to six year, pregnant and lactating others and 11-14 years out of school adolescent girls enrolled in the Anganwari Centres.
A Spokesperson of the Women and Child Development Directorate said that directions have been issued by the Directorate to the District Programme Officers that take home ration should be distributed to all enrolled beneficiaries in the AWCs especially migrant labour.
All the Anganwari Workers have been directed to enrol eligible children and pregnant and lactating mothers with any delay and ensure distribution of take home ration to all such new enrolled migrant beneficiaries.
HRTC RULES OUT PLYING OF BUSES FOR STRANDED PERSONS ON TUESDAY
Himachal Road Transport Corporation on Monday clarified that the State Government has not yet taken any decision to ply the buses on April 21 to carry the stranded people within and outside the state by following social distancing norms.
A Spokesperson of the Corporation said that some social media groups and some individuals have posted the message regarding plying of buses on Tuesday, which is fake, incorrect and misleading.
The Corporation has advised the people not to forward or circulate such type of fake messages and only follow the information provided by the State Government instead of the messages and information posted on the social media platforms.
All social media Group Admins have also been advised not to allow such posts in their Groups, failing which strict legal action will be taken against the Group Admin and creator of the message for spreading the fake messages or information in the public.