Maharashtra Minister of State for Cooperation Vishwajeet Kaam, on Friday, tested positive for COVID-19. Kaam, who was elected to the state assembly from Sangli district’s Kadegaon Palus with a Congress ticket, is the tenth minister in Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s cabinet to test positive for the virus.
In a tweet, Kadam said, “I was taking due care despite my busy schedule. However, in the end, I contracted the virus. I underwent a COVID-19 test on Thursday with mild symptoms like slight fever and bodyache. Today, I received a report and tested positive. I am under medical observation and home quarantined.”
He further said that he was busy holding meetings in the assembly segment and at Mantralaya for government work, including COVID-19 containment. He had also travelled extensively in the flood-hit villages of East Vidarbha. “However, I will be soon back in your service,” he noted.
On September 7, the Minister of Higher and Technical Education Prajakt Tanpure tested positive for COVID-19 and had been kept under medical observation. Tanpure could not participate in the two day session of the state legislature, which concluded on Tuesday.
On September 3, Dairy Development Minister Sunil Kedar tested positive. The following day Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Nana Patole was detected to be positive.
On August 14, Minister of Cooperation Balasaheb Patil tested positive and has now recovered.
Earlier, three ministers Jitendra Awhad, Ashok Chavan and Dhananjay Munde tested positive and later recovered. Later, Mumbai District Guardian Minister and Minister of Ports Aslam Shaikh tested positive and recovered. Minister for Revenue Abdul Sattar and Minister of State for Environment Sanjay Bansode tested positive and recovered. Minister for Soil and Water Conservation Shankarrao Gadhakh-Patil went for home quarantine after his wife was detected to be positive.
