GUWAHATI: Meghalaya Cabinet on Monday decided that schools and other education institutions in the state will remain closed till April 30 next in view of the situation arising out of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Cabinet meeting took several decisions to cope with the situation precipitated by the global novel Corona virus outbreak.
The Cabinet decided that farmers in rural areas would be allowed to resume sowing activities with immediate effect while adhering to strict protocol prescribed by the Health Department.
MGNREGA activities will be resumed in rural areas of the state and for that purpose wages and materials worth over Rs 534.66 has been sanctioned and released to respective BDOs.
Construction works (viz. road construction etc.) and allied development programmes sanctioned in the last financial years will resume from April 15.
Weekly markets in rural areas will be allowed to resume from April 15 next provided COVID-19 protocol as prescribed by the health department are strictly adhered to.
Resumption of Private transportation will be allowed from April 15 next.
All government offices will function with full staff from April 15 next.
The state government will extend financial assistance to all wage earners, daily labourers and petty traders (unregistered daily wage earners) who were out of work during COVID-19 lock down at the rate of Rs 700 per week under the Chief Minister’s Relief Against Wage Loss scheme. The financial assistance will be transferred directly to the beneficiary’s bank account.
In respect of 2192 residents of Meghalaya including students who are stranded in different parts of the rest of India because of the lock down, the Cabinet decided to request them to refrain from returning home till the end of April considering the safety of the stranded Meghalaya residents as well as people of the state.