After news of father's death, UP CM Yogi stood up 'only after finishing COVID-19 meet'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's father Anand Singh Bisht passed away at at 10.44am on Monday, state additional chief Secretary (Home) Awanish K. Awasthi said. Reportedly, he was undergoing treatment at AIIMS for the past one month against a long illness. Shishir Singh, Director Information & PR to the government of Uttar Pradesh, tweeted that the news came in the midst of a meeting. "The news of his father breathing his last came to him in midst of the meeting . Unfazed by the news @myogiadityanath stood up only after completing the meeting on COVID-19," he tweeted.

Uttar Pradesh is waging a pitched war against the novel coronavirus, with the chief minister directed that in case of any temporary or outsourced employee working in educational institutes, hospitals or offices not being able to attend the office due to the lockdown, his honorarium should not be cut, said Awasthi. Such employees should be paid honorarium without any cut, he said.

The chief minister also directed to release a sum of Rs 1,000 per head for those belonging to weakers sections. In addition, he has also directed to provide Rs1,000 to the leftover families of the urban and rural areas who have not been covered so far in any welfare scheme. So far, the state government has given Rs 236. 98 crore as maintenance allowance to 23.70 lakh labourers from its resources, Awasthi said.

The CM has directed officials to ensure delivery of the PPE kits and N95 masks in different areas. Reviewing the arrangement of community kitchens, CM Yogi said one needs to be cautious even in infection-free areas and ensure proper compliance of the lockdown rules. The ACS (Home) said the chief minister has instructed the chief secretary and the nodal officers to establish communication with other states in the context of the problems of state's citizens living there.