Unable to convene Assembly due to COVID-19, Andhra cabinet passes Budget ordinance – The News Minute

This will allow the state government to go ahead with necessary spending to tackle the spread of coronavirus for a three-month period up to June 30.

With the Andhra Pradesh government unable to convene the states Budget session in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cabinet on Friday approved an ordinance for a vote on account.

This will allow the state government to go ahead with necessary spending to tackle the spread of coronavirus for a three-month period up to June 30.

Speaking to reporters aftera cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Minister Perni Nani said that the cabinet had approved an ordinance to draw money for the expenses of the state for the next three months.

Once the ordinance gets the Governors nod, further details would be revealed, the Minister said.

As it is not possible to convene the budget session in the wake of the pandemic, the government is opting for an ordinance. The Chief Minister held extensive discussions on the medical facilities available and spoke about strengthening the healthcare system, Nani said.

A taskforce with five ministers, 10 senior bureaucrats and four officials from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) will be constituted to coordinate with district-level teams of ministers and officers, he added.

The state has reported 12 positive cases of COVID-19 so far and around 28,000 foreign returnees are being tracked and under quarantine.

Four hospitals, one each at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Nellore, have now been converted into dedicated super-specialty COVID-19hospitals while 100-bedded and 200-bedded isolation centres are in place at the constituency and district levels respectively, the state government said.

Stating that there were enough supplies of PPEs (Personal Protection Equipment) and masks available for healthcare providers, the state government said that a helpline 104 is available 24x7 to attend to any medical emergencies.

People should take the social curfew seriously and help the government in fighting the invisible enemy. It is very sad to see that students and others from our state are stranded at other places but the helplessness of the situation prompts us to say that they have to stay where they are or cross the border and be quarantined for 14 days, Nani said.

He also assured that essential commodities will be available across the state.

Read:

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Unable to convene Assembly due to COVID-19, Andhra cabinet passes Budget ordinance - The News Minute