COVID-19: Goa govt to ask pvt firms to release full salaries

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will direct private firms in the coastal state to release full salaries for this month so that their employees can buy essentials during the coronavirus lockdown, a minister said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters here, Port Minister Michael Lobo said the state government will soon issue orders to private sector companies to release salaries of their staff.

"If we want people to remain indoors, we need to take care of their essentials. People should have money with them," Lobo said.

Sawant will speak to his counterparts in neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka to ensure that the supply of essential commodities remains uninterrupted, the minister said.

Maharashtra government was intercepting trucks transporting essential commodities to Goa, Lobo claimed, adding that the coastal state's stock of essential commodities will only last for the next eight to 10 days.

PTI