Himachal Pradesh’s cabinet has agreed to enact a 10-day coronavirus curfew across the entire state from May 7 to midnight on May 16. During this period, all government and private offices and establishments will be closed. Only critical services, such as health, electricity, telecommunications, water supply, sanitation, and so on, will remain open during this curfew.
The state cabinet met on Wednesday, with chief minister Jai Ram Thakur chairing the meeting. The cabinet discussed the state’s Covid-19 situation and expressed concern about the sharp rise in the number of incidents.
The cabinet agreed that construction at civil work sites, horticultural, agricultural, and other project sites would proceed throughout the corona curfew. The state’s educational institutions will be closed until May 31. Both government and private transportation would operate at 50% capacity, and interstate travel would begin. The state government will provide guidelines for industrial establishments to follow.
In light of the recent spike in Covid 19 cases in the state, it was also agreed at the meeting that the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education’s annual examination for class 10th will be canceled.
The board will encourage all students to 11th grade in accordance with CBSE guidelines for students taking the 10th standard test.
It was also agreed that the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education’s 12th standard examinations and annual college examinations would be postponed until further notice.
Given the importance of the department of excise and taxation in handling work-related to revenue collection, which accounts for a large portion of the state’s revenue, as well as properly administering and regulating the state’s various tax laws, the cabinet approved the creation of a specialized and dedicated separate service in the state called HP Revenue (State Taxes and Excise) Services.
The cabinet approved the upgrade of Una regional hospital to a 300-bed regional hospital, as well as the development of 76 new positions in various categories, to provide better health care to the citizens of the area.
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