Mumbai, Nov 25 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is recuperating in a private hospital here after undergoing a spine surgery, virtually participated in a cabinet meeting on Thursday.Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his other cabinet colleagues were present at Sahaydri Guest House in south Mumbai for the meeting, which discussed a range of issues, including the COVID-19 situation, vaccination in Maharashtra and the ongoing strike by employees of state-run transport corporation MSRTC.On behalf of the cabinet, Pawar wished Thackeray a speedy recovery.A statement by the Chief Minister"s Office (CMO) said Thackeray thanked his colleagues for their cooperation during his hospitalisation.The statement quoted the chief minister as saying that he was undergoing physiotherapy under the guidance of expert doctors.Thackeray (61) underwent the spine surgery at the HN Reliance Hospital on November 12.The cabinet discussed the COVID-19 situation, vaccination status and crop situation, among other issues, the statement said.Transport Minister Anil Parab apprised the cabinet on steps taken by his department to break the deadlock over the strike by employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), it said.The MSRTC workers are on an indefinite strike since October 28, demanding merger of the cash-strapped corporation with the Maharashtra government, which will give them the status of state government employees and better salaries.The statement said the discussion on the pandemic revolved around precautions that needed to be taken to curb the infection in wake of the grim situation in Europe, which is seeing a fresh spike in cases, triggering lockdown in some parts of the continent.The cabinet discussed the need to expedite vaccination, step up coronavirus testing and also called for strict implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols, it added. PTI MR RSY RSY