Kanchan Vasdev

Rana Gurjit, a former minister who represents Kapurthala in Punjab Assembly, took the step after the state government urged the distilleries in the state to manufacture sanitiser, being sold at skyrocketing prices amid lockdown after COVID-19 outbreak.

“The Chief Minister has desired all ministers not to tour districts for three days as deputy commissioners and staff are busy," read a text message, to all ministers sent, by M P Singh, secretary-cum-OSD to the CM.

While the government has initiated its own door-to-door drive to sensitize people about the spread of the disease that could be deadly, the farm bodies have been writing to the government to allow them to join in.

While CM Amarinder Singh has given a clear message of social distancing by asking everyone to observe a distance of at least two metres, pictures show several politicians from his party throwing caution to the wind.

The government has been unable to trace 1,330 NRIs at their addresses, while about 10,000 are yet to be contacted based on contact details shared with the state by the Centre.

“There is a shortage of masks and kits in the entire country. These are imported and the orders are not materialising. We had placed an order of 1 lakh each. But what we have received is very small quantity,” an official said.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday asked the Rural Development and Panchayats Department to involve village Sarpanches in reporting to the authorities about any failing on this front.

From testing 80-100 samples per day at Government Medical College, Amritsar, and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, the state government has now allowed the two institutions to test 320 samples (overall) in a day.

This time Punjab is also facing a problem of plenty as all its godowns are filled to the brim. With the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus being put in place, the government is also hurrying to clear its godowns by sending the wheat to recipient states.

From testing only those with symptoms, the Punjab government has now started testing all those having come in contact with positive cases.

As per the latest orders, people will be forced to stay confined at home and daily essentials will be made to reach them by the respective district administrations by engaging identifying local hawkers, grocers shopping complexes and malls.

The teams in Kapurthala need to locate around 4,000 NRIs. In Nawanshahr, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the region, that number is nearly 2,000.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday also announced that it would donate a month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to assist the state government in its efforts to combat the virus.

Sources said the government had got reports from all districts that many people were out on roads and not following the lock down instructions.

Deputy Commissioners of all the 22 districts were asked to issue orders in the respective districts for the lockdown that would come into effect at 6 am Monday and would remain into effect till 9 pm on March 31.

Meanwhile, seven persons,including six relatives of the Nawanshahr man who passed away after cardiac arrest and tested positive post death, have been tested positive for coronavirus.

The announcement is likely to be made Sunday night, after the 'Janata Curfew' called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ends.

Administrative Secretary, the Department of Employment Generation, Rahul Tewari tells The Indian Express that the government data is authentic and every employment entry in their records can be cross-checked.

While Punjab’s Cong govt claims to have facilitated employment for over 12 lakh youths in last 3 years as part of its pre-poll promise, opposition claims most of them have only landed menial jobs.