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Three people die due to Covid-19 in Pune

MUMBAI: The state cabinet on Tuesday discussed whether to extend the lockdown by two weeks in Mumbai and Pune which have reported a high number of cases. In an indication that the lockdown may not be lifted on April 15, the cabinet cleared two proposals. One for subsidized foodgrains to be provided to even saffron ration card holders (family income of Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh a year). Two, the Shiv Thali Scheme will be implemented at the taluka level at Rs 5 per plate for three months; it was available for Rs 10 earlier.For the first time in its history, the state cabinet meeting was held via video-conferencing. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and some cabinet members joined in from his official residence, Varsha. Some connected from Mantralaya and the rest from their respective areas.A senior minister said though no decision was taken on Tuesday, there was a general consensus that the lockdown should be extended in cities such as Mumbai and Pune and some relaxation given in areas where there are few or no cases. “Most of us were of the opinion that even in case of relaxation, inter-district movement should not be allowed. A decision will be taken in the next few days, depending on the cases in the state,” said the minister.He further said the government would extend the lockdown by two weeks in Mumbai and other affected cities.The cabinet discussed that the lockdown would be relaxed in a phased manner on the basis of the number of Covid-19 patients. Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune Metropolitan Region may witness two weeks’ extension, as of now.A minister said the discussion on the lockdown issue was cut short by Thackeray, who said the situation will be reviewed between April 10 and 14 to take a final call. “A proper decision on lifting the lockdown will be taken at the proper time,” said Thackeray.After the meeting, Thackeray wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding additional quota of subsidized grains for the state. As per the cabinet decision, nearly 3.8 crore ration cards will benefit from the scheme. Wheat at Rs 8 per kg and rice at Rs 12 per kg will be given to all those who have an orange ration card. “For this, an additional quota of 1.5 lakh metric tonne of foodgrains has been sought from the Centre. A burden of Rs 250 crore will be borne by the state,” said an official. Currently, only those covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)—families with an annual income of Rs 59,000 or less—get subsidized foodgrains.“We have taken a decision on subsidized grains for all those with orange cards, irrespective of their income limit. A similar decision to cover those with white ration cards (family income of over Rs 1 lakh) will be taken in the next few days,” said cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh. “For those who don’t have a ration card like migrants, relief camps have been set up in the state. There are over five lakh people in these camps,” said a minister.