Image Credits: The Times of India
Uttar Pradesh
UP Government Invokes ESMA, Bans Strikes Across State For 6 Months
|Essential Services Management Act empowers the state to take action against employees who are on strike or refuse to work categorised under essential services and necessary to maintain a normal course of action.
The Uttar Pradesh government invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) on Saturday, December 18, to ban strikes across the state for the next six months.
According to the law, strikes are banned in any public service, corporations, and local authorities which deal with state affairs, Hindustan Times reported. Strict action will be taken against those defying the orders.
What Is ESMA?
ESMA empowers the state to take action against employees who are on strike or refuse to conduct work categorised under essential services and necessary to maintain a normal course of action. It gives state police the power to arrest anyone without any warrant if they are violating its provision. The Act has a provision of mandatory imprisonment, which may extent to one year, or a fine of ₹1,000 or both.
In the past, the state government had banned strikes for six months by invoking ESMA in May 2020 and extended it till November 2020 to contain the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Free Ration Scheme
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government stated that it had provided free ration to more than 82 per cent of beneficiaries in the state for the month of December under its extended scheme.
Reports state that the state government is running its next phase of the 'biggest campaign' of free ration distribution, other than the Centre's PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) under which along with wheat and rice, the ration card holders in Uttar Pradesh are receiving a litre of refined oil, and a kilo each of salt and pulses, free.
"Till the ninth day of December Regular (NFSA) distribution, a total of around 6,88,690.741 MT of ration among the ration holders of Antyodaya and Eligible Households Category. Along with that, free of cost distribution of 29,276.142 MT of the other 3 commodities-chana, salt and oil have taken place so far," said Commissioner, Food and Supply Department Sourabh Babu.
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