Covid-19: Punjab announces Rs 50 lakh insurance for cops, sanitation workers

Chandigarh The Punjab government on Saturday announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to its police personnel and sanitation workers engaged in the front-lines in fighting

Chandigarh The Punjab government on Saturday announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to its police personnel and sanitation workers engaged in the front-lines in fighting covid-19. This follows the Centre’s decision to provide a similar cover to health workers.

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In an emergency meeting that chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh chaired through video conferencing, the cabinet also authorised its procurement committee for covid-19 to make all purchases for management of the outbreak on an urgent basis. The committee has been authorised to make spot purchases and exigency procurement, bypassing normal procedure, in exercise of powers under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005. The cabinet also allowed this committee to buy essential and emergent medical items at prevalent market prices, as these has risen substantially, due to widespread demand. The cabinet decided that licences of private hospitals denying treatment to covid patients would be cancelled.

The health department informed the cabinet that testing will be far more rapid in the state, once these kits and final guidelines from the Centre arrived. Rapid testing will be done for symptomatic and asymptomatic cases at all hot spots, while symptomatic cases will be similarly tested in non-hot spot areas. The department said it had started community testing in hotspots.

The cabinet has warned those with foreign travel history, who were yet to inform authorities, to come forward or face impounding of passports. All retiring health department employees were also granted extension by three months.

The CM has also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to security plan for smooth procurement of wheat. The CM emphasised that the state must procure every grain, though, in staggered manner. The cabinet also decided that details of procurement arrangements be notified by April 7-8.

To stagger harvesting, combines will be allowed to operate from 6 am to 7 pm, a spokesperson said after the Cabinet meeting, adding that to ensure smooth and speedy operations, maximum number of labourers shall be permitted for unloading. The government is also working with arhtiyas and sheller owners to add 3,000 purchase centres this year to prevent crowding and follow social distancing norms. Coupons will be issued to farmers and others involved. The number of purchase centres will be 1,820.

Submit proposals to cut

expenditure by Apr 8, depts tolds

The Cabinet also ordered expenditure cut by all government departments and ordered them to submit detailed proposals for this by April 8. Finance minister Manpreet Badal told the cabinet that the state would suffer Rs 5,000 crore revenue loss in April, and the figure would only go up.

Strap/Blurb

Cabinet decision

ACS Vinni Mahajan-led committee authorised to make purchases related to COVID-19 management; procurement arrangements to be notified next week