<span style="color: #222222;">The Maharashtra government today hiked the salaries of medical officers, both contractual and those who have signed bond with the government by fifteen thousand rupees. The decision will benefit doctors who are working in tribal areas of the state. Meanwhile, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray today said that if the lockdown is extended beyond May 31, then it will adversely impact the state's economy . Interacting with the editors of electronic media, Mr, Thackeray, also said that Maharashtra is close to achieving peak in cases of COVID-19. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">AIR correspondent reports, the Maharashtra government's decision to hike salaries of medical officers working in tribal belts of the state will act as a morale booster to the doctors who are at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the decision taken today, the doctors who have signed bond and are working in tribal areas will get 75 thousand rupees as against 60 thousand rupees which they currently draw. <br />''<br />''The specialist doctors will get 85 thousand rupees as against the present 70 thousand rupees. Whereas, the MBBS doctors in other areas of the state will get 70 thousand rupees as against 55 thousand which is being disbursed to them, at present. The specialist doctors in other regions of the state will however, get 80 thousand rupees as against 65 thousand rupees to their present pay scale. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In another development, chief minister Thackeray today said that the state government will not act hastily to lift the lockdown anticipating that the COVID-19 pandemic will remain for a longer<b><i><u> </u></i></b>time. Meanwhile, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad has written to Information & Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar requesting 12 hours air time on any two channels of Doordarshan and two hours daily on All India Radio  to broadcast education content through virtual classroom studios. </span><br />''  <br />