The meeting of the Telangana State cabinet, held at Pragathi Bhavan (CM’s residence) and chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, has taken several decisions on lockdown and curtailment of the coronavirus spread in the state.
The state Cabinet has decided to impose lockdown for 10 days beginning from 12 May from 10 am. The Cabinet also decided to give relaxation period from 6 am to 10 am for the people for their general activities and needs. Only for these four hours, all the shops will be opened and they would close for the rest of 20 hours, as the lockdown would be imposed strictly. The state Cabinet will meet again on 20 May to review the situation on the continuing of the lockdown and take a decision accordingly. The State Cabinet has also decided to invite global tenders to procure vaccines on a war footing.
The State Cabinet has instructed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to make corona related medicines, oxygen and injections like Remdesivir available for hospitals in the private sector along with the government-run hospitals.
The Cabinet also decided to constitute committees with ministers as chairman in all the districts, along with collectors, DMHO, drug inspectors. CM KCR has instructed the ministers to have a daily review meeting at their district headquarters on the corona pandemic.
From the Cabinet meeting, the CM spoke with the manufacturers of the remdesivir injections and asked them to supply required quantities of injections to the state. The Cabinet also approved constitution of a Task Force under the Chairmanship of IT and Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao to ensure regular procurement and supply of the medicines and injections. The other members of the Task Force include Principal Secretary (Industries) Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary (GAD) Vikas Raj, Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj) Sandeep Sultania and CM secretary and Special Officer from the CMO on Covid Rajasekhar Reddy.
Sectors exempted from the lockdown include: works related to the agriculture produce, allied sectors, works undertaken with agriculture machines, running of rice mills, transport of paddy and rice, supplying paddy to the FCI, fertiliser and seed shops, seed manufacturing companies, and other agri-based sectors.
The Cabinet has decided, keeping in view welfare of farmers, to continue purchasing of the paddy.
Pharmaceutical companies, companies manufacturing medical equipment, medical distributors, medical shops, all types of medical and health services, government and private hospitals, their staff are also exempted. The staff and employees of these sectors would be given special passes and will be allowed with their vehicles. Supply of drinking water, sanitation works in rural and urban areas would continue. Power generation, distribution and their allied services would also be continued.
Transportation on National Highways will be allowed as it is. Petrol and diesel pumps would be open on the National Highways. Warehousing and cold storage activities have been exempted too, along with print and electronic media, and EGS works. Government offices would work with 33 percent of the staff. Like during the lockdown last time, banks and ATMs would also work. Only 40 members are allowed for marriages with prior permission.
The State Cabinet has instructed the DGP to strictly implement the lockdown following the Covid guidelines strictly.