Airports in Northeast helping society with a series of schemes amid CORONA crisis.

Guwahati: Airports in Northeast helping society proactively with all possible advanced measures with the focus area & action of Airports Authority of India at NorthEast region during the fight against COVID-19, and AAI is still practicing the set guidelines laid down by the Union Government, especially the Ministry of Health & Family welfare.

Right from February, screening of all International passengers were started at Guwahati Airport, soon it was extended to all the domestic flights also at all the airports in the region.

100 percent thermal screening was carried out with the help of health officials and paramedics deployed by the state Governments in all the airports in NER. A dedicated thermal screening camera was installed at LGBI Airport Guwahati for mass screening and checking of passengers which helped a team of doctors as well as convenient to passengers.

After the lockdown in the country, the commercial flight operations ceased from midnight of 24.03.2020 but airports were opened with minimum staff to run the emergency and essential services. All 12 airports in NE were opened for the same, however as per the demand of the airlines and the directives of the Ministry the watch hours at the airports were extended.

“Airports Authority of India in NE was equally bothered for the frontline staff dealing with the screening and segregation of the corona suspects and operations of the airport, so provided masks, gloves and kept sanitizers at all the places, point of contact and corners of the airport. We later provided protective kits to the health workers and CISF personnel for their protection,” Sanjeev Jindal, Regional Executive Director, AAI said.

The lifeline UDAN portal was floated by the Government were cargo flights and routes were sketched to cater to the domestic export of essential and emergency goods especially medical goods for the farthest places in the country.

Addressing the Press through online Video conference, Sanjeev Jindal said that, AAI as a responsible organization is worried for the professional in the forefront of the fight against CORONA, and to enable this, AAI at NER under its CSR scheme donated Rs 10 lakh to each of the state government through all the station in charges.

Also, the employees of AAI have contributed to the PM-CARE fund. A voluntary contribution of a 5-day salary or minimum 3 days salary has been donated by the AAI employees to this crisis at a personal level, and some of them have contributed their entire one month salary for this India’s fight against CORONA.

“We have ensured that no one goes hungry and minimum food and amenities are provided to laborers living at the project sites of the airport and to those living in and around the airport. I have identified 10 airports in the region where we will feed 500 families at each airport providing 5kg of rice to each family during this crisis’, informed Shri Jindal during this address to media. We are equally worried for the Anganwadi workers and will be contributing Rs 25 lakh for Manipur and Rs 20 lakh for Rani block in Assam with the help of UNDP-UNICEF. AAI in total has donated Rs 15 Crore under CSR funds and out of this Rs 3 Crore is from NER,” Jindal said.

Similar help has also been planned for the police personnel who are far from home performing their duties for the society in the Corona crisis. Rs 50 lakhs has been planned for the funds to be donated to all the state police in NE for procuring PPEs, Kits, mass, etc.

The women welfare wing of AAI-Kalyanmayee is also helping the needy people. They are making masks from household cloth and preparing about 10,000 masks to be distributed almost free to the needy ones. 3,000 masks are already stocked and this has been prepared by the self-help groups. It has provided employment opportunities to the self-employed – helping groups and masks are made hygienically.

Educational institutions in Meghalaya will remain closed till April 30:

Guwahati: The Meghalaya government on Monday said that, all educational institutions in the state will remain closed till April 30.

The Meghalaya cabinet on Monday decided that, schools and educational institutions will remain closed till April 30.

The Meghalaya cabinet has also decided to extend financial assistance to all wage earners, daily laborers and petty traders (unregistered daily wage earners) who are out of work during the COVID-19 lockdown, under the Chief Minister’s Relief against Wage Loss scheme for daily wage earners at the rate of Rs. 700 per week and the financial assistance will be transferred directly to the eligible beneficiary’s account.

Beneficiaries already registered under Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW), job cardholders under MGNREGA, muster roll workers of government departments, casual and contractual wage workers in government and semi-government departments and registered farmers under ‘PM-KISAN’ are not entitled to receive benefits under the scheme.

The cabinet also decided to resume the private transportation in the state from April 15.

In a partial relief to the people of the hill state, the Meghalaya cabinet has also decided to allow farmers to resume sowing activities with immediate effect and strict protocols to be maintained as prescribed from time to time by the health department.

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that, the state cabinet has decided to allow to restart the construction works (viz. road construction, etc.) and other allied developmental programs in the state-sanctioned by the government in the last financial year from April 15.

“MGNREGA activities will be allowed to resume in respective villages in the State. Wages and the material components to the tune of Rs. 534.6573 crore has been sanctioned and released to the respective Block Development Offices for payment of wages and clearing the materials bills,” Prestone Tynsong said.

He further said that, the state cabinet also decided to allow the reopening of weekly markets in rural areas from April 15, provided that strict COVID-19 protocols as prescribed by the health department are adhered to.

“All government offices will start functioning with full staff strength from April 15,” the Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister said.

The Meghalaya cabinet discussed the fate of citizens from Meghalaya both students and working citizens, numbering about 2192 individuals in total, who are staying in different parts of the country.

“Most of them had expressed their desire to come back to the State. Taking into account the safety of people in the State and the safety of the stranded citizens themselves, the Cabinet after a thorough discussion has decided to request the stranded citizens to refrain from traveling back home until the end of April 2020,” Prestone Tynsong said.

No positive case for COVID-19 has reported in Meghalaya so far.

Coronavirus lockdown : Meghalaya dentist prescribed whiskey to his patient

Meghalaya dentist prescribed whiskey to his patient. At a time when the government has restricted only to operate essential services during lockdown, a Shillong based dentist has prescribed whiskey to one of his patient who had complained of withdrawal symptoms.

After the prescription of the dentist has gone viral on social media many people have criticized the doctor.

According to the reports, Dr B Purkayastha had prescribed two bottles of whiskey to a 65-year-old patient on April 3.

The dentist asked the patient not to drink more than three pegs (whiskey) in a day.

On the other hand, East Khasi Hills Wine Dealers and Welfare Association had urged Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to grant permission to open the liquor shops in the state.

The association on April 3 sent a letter to the Meghalaya Chief Minister for seeking permission to open liquor shops.