Thursday, 15 October 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
Cabinet exempts departmental personnel from salary deduction for Covid-19 fund
The State cabinet has decided to allow reopening of regular studies in schools only for classes X and XII from November while adhering to guidelines for protection from Covid-19. This and other important decisions were taken in the meeting of the cabinet presided over by the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here on Wednesday.
Informing the media about the cabinet decisions after the meeting, cabinet minister and State government spokesman Madan Kaushik said that studies for classes X and XII will resume in schools from November 1 onward in the first stage. Apart from this, in order to directly connect the locals with collection of Pirul (dry pine needles) in order to help in control of forest fires, the cabinet has approved hiking the price of Pirul from Re one per kilogramme to Rs two per kilogramme. In another decision which was being demanded by various departmental personnel, the cabinet also decided to discontinue the monthly deduction of one-day salary of all departmental officers and personnel in view of Covid-19. The chief minister, ministers, MLAs, IAS officers, IPS officers and IFS officers have not been provided this exemption. In another important decision, considering the detrimental effect of Covid-19 on the state’s tourism industry, the cabinet approved the proposal to facilitate additional financial assistance to those involved in the tourism industry. Further, an additional sum of Rs 1,000 each will be deposited in the accounts of 2.43 lakh drivers and e-rickshaw drivers. In another development, the cabinet decided to implement the track and trace system in the state’s excise department. The implementation of this system is expected to bring about transparency in the liquor business and enhance control. The hologram to be used under this system will be supplied by an undertaking of the India Security Press at Nashik in Maharashtra. In yet another important decision, the encroachers and lease holders on class III and IV lands will be granted landholder rights. They will have to pay according to the 2004 circle rates in order to gain the landholder rights. Those who have been occupying such land since June 1983 or before that can apply for the landholder right within a year of the issuance of the government order.
However, such rights will not be granted to those occupying such class III land which is submerged or includes a lake, cemetery or cremation ground. Further, the proposal to name the Himalayan Garhwal University after former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also brought up in the meeting but rejected. The Uttarakhand sports policy 2020 was also granted approval in principle by the cabinet.
