HP makes Covid vaccine free for 18-44 age bracket
Cabinet says all govt officials employed at health institutions to be vaccinated
The Himachal Pradesh cabinet, in a meeting on Thursday, decided to vaccinate people in the 18 to 44 age bracket free of cost in the wake of spurt in coronavirus cases in the hill state.
The Cabinet, which was headed by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, also directed all government officials employed at hospitals or health institutions to vaccinate themselves.
Mobile teams will be formed at the block level to provide better treatment to the patients under home isolation and a vehicle will be exclusively assigned for shifting critical patients to hospitals, the Cabinet decided. Each medical college will have a dedicated team to supervise Covid cases.
It decided to provide incentives to outsourced employees engaged in tackling the Covid pandemic. Each employee will be paid an additional ₹200 per shift. Patients under home isolation will get a nutrition kit, the Cabinet decided. The body also decided to regularise the services of daily and contingent workers who have completed five years of continuous service as on March 31, 2021 or will complete service on September 30, 2021 against the available vacant posts in different departments; contractual employees who have completed three years of services as on March 31, 2021 or will complete three years on September 31, 2021 in different departments of the state government. Part-time workers completing eight years of continuous services in government departments will be made daily wagers.
Nineteen posts of technical and ministerial staff at the state Seri Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Centre at Balichowki in Mandi district will be advertised.
The Cabinet accorded consent to fill two posts of block development officers in the rural development department through direct recruitment.
It also gave its nod to open a Government Industrial Training Institute at Baroti and creating of 26 posts in different categories. The CM and his cabinet colleagues contributed one month’s salary to the chief minister’s Covid fund. Thakur handed over the cheques to chief secretary Anil Khachi.