Shillong, April 06, 2020: The Meghalaya cabinet on Monday has decided to allow construction works including projects under MGNREGA and sowing activities to resume in the state after the lockdown.
The 21-day lockdown will complete on April 14.
While farmers can resume their sowing activities immediately, works related to constructions including roads and MGNREGA works can resume from April 15.
But all must follow the government’s protocols strictly.
While all government employees should return to work from April 15, educational institutes however will remain close till April 30.
Offices of private establishments will also continue to remain closed.
Private transportation can start from April 15 within the state including inter-district movement, but inter-state movement will not be allowed at any cost
Decisions taken by the cabinet :
- Schools and educational institutions will remain closed till 30th of April 2020.
- 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 the 15th of April 2020.
- All Government offices to start functioning with full staff strength from the 15th of April2020.
- 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 on Monday 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.
