Extended Lockdown: These economic activities will be allowed after Apr 20

Team Udayavani, Apr 15, 2020, 12:58 PM IST

New Delhi: A day after extending the lockdown till May 3 in the country, the Centre on Wednesday issued guidelines for implementation of the second phase of the coronavirus lockdown.

The lockdown will be enforces strictly till April 20, whereafter the governemnt will consider relaxations in least infected parts of India.

Here’s a list of economic activities that will be allowed after April 20:

1. Transportation of goods, essential and non-essential, will be permitted.

2. All health services (including AYUSH) to remain functional such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, etc.

3. All agricultural and horticulture activities will be fully functional. Farming operations, including procurement of agricultural products, agriculture marketing through notified Mandis and direct and decentralized marketing, manufacture, distribution and retail of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds; activities of marine and inland fisheries; animal husbandry activities, including the supply chain of milk, milk products, poultry and live-stock farming; and tea, coffee and rubber plantations will be allowed.

4. RBI and other financial markets and entities like NPCI, CCIL, payments system operators to be functional.

5. MGNREGA work will be allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and wearing face masks.

6. Industries operating in rural areas, including food processing industries; construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and industrial projects in rural areas; works under MNREGA, with priority to irrigation and water conservation works; and operation of rural Common Service Centres (CSCs) have all been allowed. These activities will create job opportunities for rural labour, including the migrant labour force.

7. Manufacturing and other industrial establishments with access control have been permitted in SEZs, EoUs, industrial estates and industrial townships after implementation of SOP for social distancing. Manufacture of IT hardware and of essential goods and packaging are also allowed. Coal, mineral and oil production are permitted activities.

8. The digital economy is critical to the services sector and is important for national growth. Accordingly, e-commerce operations, operations of IT and IT enabled services, data and call centres for Government activities, and online teaching and distance learning are all permitted activities now.

9. The revised guidelines also permit all health services and the social sector to remain functional; public utilities to function without any hindrance; the supply chain of essential goods to operate without any hindrance; and, important offices of Central and State Governments and local bodies to remain open with the required strength.

10. Print and electronic media including broadcasting, DTH and cable services will be allowed. IT and IT-enabled services will be allowed to function with 50% strength. Data and call centres for government activities only are allowed. Ecommerce companies and vehicles used by ecommerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions.

11. Ecommerce companies and their vehicles will be allowed to ply with necessary passes.

12. Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels, which are accommodating tourists and persons stranded due to lockdown, will be allowed to function.

13. Private vehicles will be allowed to ply for emergency services and for procurement of essential commodities.

14. Offices of Government of India such as Defence, Central Armed Police Forces, its autonomous subordinate offices will remain open.