Combating COVID-19: Haryana creates revolving fund of Rs 100 crore to tackle coronavirus

Haryana government led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has created a revolving fund of Rs 100 crore for the key departments and made several other decisions to tackle COVID-19 effectively.

The government has also decided to issue appointment letters to 447 recently selected doctors as medical officers in relaxation of the conditions of character verification and medical examinations in a bid to fill up all vacant posts at once.

The key departments include Medical Education and Research, Health, Revenue, Home, and Urban Local Bodies for COVID-19 related mitigation measures. Along with these, several other decisions were also taken during the meeting of Crisis Coordination Committee held under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora.

Testing facilities will soon begin in private labs at four places with 50 per cent of their capacity reserved for the usage by the government. The private testing labs would be mandated to inform the Health Department regarding testing reports of all cases including private cases not referred by the Health Department.

The existing government testing facilities shall be augmented and efforts will be made to create new testing facilities. The cost of tests referred by the Health department to these facilities would be borne by the state government.

According to an official statement, the supply of N-95 masks would be expedited by coordination with the suppliers so that emergency staff and officials on duty in the Health Department could be provided with the masks on an urgent basis.

The supply of essential medicines such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine would be ensured in sufficient quantities and if necessary, the supply would be increased.

The government has also made a decision regarding the planning and notifying of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. Initially, four hospitals would be designated for the cause and would later be expanded as per the requirement.

The Deputy Commissioners will also issue passes for the movement of personnel and vehicles as per the need. With regard to Chandigarh and Panchkula offices, Home Department would coordinate with Chandigarh UT Administration to facilitate the issuance of passes and transit of essential services, officials, and staff.

The Haryana State Agriculture and Marketing Board (HSAMB) will ensure that the private mandis running without permission will be restricted as per social distancing norms. It will be ensured that private vendors won't charge extra for essential items like vegetables and fruits.

The Home Department will ensure that appropriate directions are issued by police personnel involved in the implementation of lockdown and that essential services remain uninterrupted. The transit of essential goods and personnel to neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab should not be hindered.