Coronavirus: UP Cabinet Slashes Salary Of Ministers, Legislators By 30 Percent

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved a 30 per cent cut in salaries of ministers and state legislators in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The reduction will be applicable for a year.

The money will go into the COVID Care Fund set up by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for strengthening medical facilities to deal with the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said.

The minister said this way, all 503 legislators, including 56 ministers, will contribute around Rs 17.50 crore for the cause.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved a 30 per cent cut in salaries of ministers and state legislators in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The reduction will be applicable for a year.

The money will go into the COVID Care Fund set up by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for strengthening medical facilities to deal with the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said.

The minister said this way, all 503 legislators, including 56 ministers, will contribute around Rs 17.50 crore for the cause.

Meanwhiel, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to completely seal off coronavirus hotspots in 15 districts to stop to the spread of the infection, announcing curfew-like restrictions there. The orders came as the state's coronavirus count reached 343 with 11 fresh cases being reported.

The news triggered panic buying with earlier reports wrongly saying that entire districts will be sealed off.

The restrictions in these pockets will be stricter than those under the lockdown already in place. Unlike in the lockdown so far, people will not be allowed to go out to buy groceries. Officials said the administration will ensure doorstep delivery of items like vegetables and milk in these clusters.

Passes issued to allow essential movement are cancelled in these hotspots which will remain sealed up to April 15 morning, when the current three-week nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end.

In addition to the creation of these containment zones, the government said it is doubling testing for coronavirus about 1,500 tests will now be conducted in the state every day and will make wearing face covers mandatory for those moving out of their homes.

The identified hotspots include 22 clusters in Agra, 13 in Ghaziabad, 12 each in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Kanpur, seven in Meerut and four each in Varanasi, Sahanaranpur and Maharajganj.

There are three hotspots in Shamli, Bulandshahr, Basti and Firozabad, and one each in Bareilly and Sitapur. State capital Lucknow has eight major and four minor coronavirus clusters. Only the hotspots will be sealed off and not the entire district, he clarified. In other areas, the lockdown will be in place as before.