Maharashtra cabinet gives nod to hold winter session in Mumbai from December 7

Mumbai, Dec 03: The Maharashtra cabinet has decided to recommend to Governor BS Koshyari shifting of the venue of upcoming winter session of the state legislature from Nagpur to Mumbai in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The cabinet discussed whether the session, scheduled to begin in Nagpur from December 7, can be held for a period of 2 to 3 days.

In a meeting held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the council of ministers approved a proposal of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) on holding the winter session in Mumbai instead of Nagpur, which hosts the session every year, a statement said.

According to reports, it is said that the BAC will meet on Thursday to prepare the programme and duration of the sitting of the legislature.

Earlier, the monsoon session of the state legislature was held on September 7 and 8 instead on June 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Budget session held in March too was curtailed by a week.

Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved the financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to the state-run Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to enable it to pay salaries to employees.

"The government had taken the advance of Rs 120 crore from the Contingency Fund to pay salaries of MSRTC employees for October. An amount of Rs 880 crore will be handed over to the MSRTC in instalmentsto pay salaries for six months," the statement said.

The MSRTC, which has 99,787 employees, needs Rs 150 crore towards salaries between November 2020 to March 2021, while the amount required for payment of salaries for April 2021 is Rs 130 crore.

The state government provides Rs 1,700 crore to the MSRTC towards passenger concessions in various categories.

As per the government, MSRTC''s 40 per cent expenditure is incurred on salaries and 32 per cent on fuel.