U'khand govt asks VCs to ensure payment of salaries to employees

Uttarakhand government's Joint Secretary MA Somwal on Friday wrote to the Vice Chancellors of state universities and affiliated colleges to ensure the payment of salaries to their employees including outsourced staff amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

"It came to the notice that in the state universities and colleges affiliated to these universities payment of salaries to their employees including out-sourced employees is not being made during the lockdown. It is extremely a regrettable situation," Somwal wrote in the letter.

He asked them to ensure the payment of salaries to the employees during the lockdown. "If any university does not follow the order, action will be taken against such universities," the letter added.

At least 35 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the State so far and five people have also recovered from the disease. No deaths have been reported so far.

With 896 COVID-19 cases reported in the country in the last 24 hours, India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 6,761 on Friday, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Out of all these cases, 6039 are active cases, 516 have been cured/discharged/migrated, and 206 deaths have been reported so far.

The country witnessed the highest one day increase with 896 cases. A total of 37 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

The country is under a 21-day lockdown until April 14, which was imposed to curb the spread of the virus. States like Odisha and Punjab have extended the lockdown till April 30.