To fund its anti Covid-19 operations, the Uttarakhand Government has decided to deduct a day’s salary of its employees every month for the Chief Minister’s relief fund.

The deductions would be made every month till the end of the financial year 2020-21  and would be applicable to all State Government employees and the employees of state corporations and bodies. However the pensioners would remain exempted from this deduction.

The decision of salary deduction was taken in the meeting of the State Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here at the secretariat on Friday. Cabinet Minister and Government spokesman, Madan Kaushik said that the cabinet decided not to make any cuts in the allowances of the employees as was anticipated. He said that the deduction of five days per month till the end of this financial year would be made in the remuneration of all the position holders. He clarified that the deduction of 30 per cent would be made in the basic salary of all MLAs. The minister however added that if the Congress MLAs don’t want any cut in their salary then they should give a written intimation about this.

In a decision aimed at providing relief to the workers who were quarantined, the state government decided that the employers would have to provide salary of 28 days to them and sanction leave for the period of quarantine. For the shops and business establishments employing more than 10 employees, the owner would have to make arrangement for sanitiser and adopt necessary safety measures. In an effort to provide impetus to horticulture, the cabinet gave its consent to the Chief Minister’s integrated horticulture scheme on the day.

Under the project, 50 per cent grant would be provided by the state government to the farmers not covered under centrally sponsored Horticulture mission. Similarly for the fruits, seeds, potato and ginger cultivation not covered under the horticulture mission, 50 per cent grant would be provided to the farmers.

For purchase of AC van costing about Rs 26 lakh and construction of cold storage of capacity 30 metric tonnes (Cost Rs 15 Lakh), the state government would provide a grant of 50 per cent.

On the day, the state cabinet also approved changes in the Uttarakhand minor minerals collection policy 2016. After the amendment, the validity of the mining leases of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) would get increased from present one year to five years.

The cabinet approved the proposal to hand over the power to make procurement worth Rs 3 Crore to the Principals of the government medical colleges. Similarly the state cabinet also decided to extend the power bestowed on district magistrates (DM) to make recruitments on outsource in health department till February 28, 2021.

For making labour union in any industrial units, the minimum number of the total worker strength was increased from existing 10 per cent to 30 per cent by cabinet on the day. The cabinet also increased the charges for the certified copies of land registries in an attempt to make people use digital copies.

In view of the problem arising out of not holding the election of members of district plan committees, the cabinet promulgated an ordinance allowing the district magistrates (DM) to take decisions after approval from minister in charge of district.

 In absence of committee, the meetings of the district plan committees were not being held.  The cabinet also approved the proposal to allow the DM to nominate the District Panchayat presidents, block Pramukhs and village Pradhans – where these posts are still vacant- from among the elected Panchayat representatives.