Pothashang News Service: Imphal, April 15, 2020: Government of India on Wednesday released new guidelines for the extended lockdown period. In the guidelines, select activities are permitted to mitigate hardship to the public with effect from April 20.
Following is the lists of activities permitted during the lockdown period:
All health services (including AYUSH) to remain functional, such as:
i. Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, telemedicine facilities.
ii. Dispensaries, chemists, pharmacies, all kinds of medicine shops including Jan Aushadhi Kendras and medical equipment shops.
iii. Medical laboratories and collection centres.
iv. Pharmaceutical and medical research labs, institutions carrying out COVID-19 related research.
v. Veterinary Hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, pathology labs, sale and supply of vaccine and medicine.
vi. Authorised private establishments, which support the provisioning of essential services, or efforts for containment of COVID-19, including home care providers, diagnostics, supply chain firms serving hospitals.
vii. Manufacturing units of drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical oxygen, their packaging material, raw material and intermediates
viii. Construction of medical health infrastructure including manufacture of ambulances.
ix. Movement (inter and intra State, including by air) of all medical and veterinary personnel, scientists, nurses, para-medical staff, lab technicians, mid-wives and other hospital support services, including ambulances.
Agricultural and related activities:
A. All agricultural and horticultural activities to remain fully functional, such as:
i. Farming operations by farmers and farm workers in field.
ii. Agencies engaged in procurement of agriculture products, including MSP operations.
iii. ‘Mandis’ operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) or as notified by the State UT Government (e.g., satellite mandals). Direct marketing operations by the State UT Government or by industry, directly from farmers group of farmers, FPOS’ co-operatives etc. States UTS may promote decentralized marketing and procurement at village level.
iv. Shops of agriculture machinery, its spare parts (including its supply chain) and repairs to remain open.
v. ‘Custom Hiring Centres (CHC)’ related to farm machinery.
vi. Manufacturing, distribution and retail of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds.
vii. Movement (inter and intra State) of harvesting and sowing related machines like combined harvester and other agriculture, horticulture implements.
B. Fisheries – the followinq activities will be functional:
i. Operations of the fishing (marine and inland)/ aquaculture industry, including feeding & maintenance, harvesting, processing, packaging, cold chain, sale and marketing.
ii. Hatcheries, feed plants, commercial aquaria.
iii. Movement of fish shrimp and fish products, fish seed feed and workers for all these activities.
C. Plantations- the followinq activities will be functional:
i. Operations of tea, coffee and rubber plantations, with maximum of 50% workers.
ii. Processing, packaging, sale and marketing of tea, coffee, rubber and cashew, with maximum of 50°6 workers.
D. Animal husbandry – the following activities will be functional:
i. Collection, processing, distribution and sale of milk and milk products by milk processing plants, including transport and supply chain.
ii. Operation of animal husbandry farms including poultry farms & hatcheries and livestock farming activity.
iii. Animal feed manufacturing and feed plants, including supply of raw material, such as maize and soya.
iv. Operation of animal shelter homes, including Gausha/as.
Financial sector: following to remain functional:
i. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and RBI regulated financial markets and entities like NPCl, CCIL, payment system operators and standalone primary dealers.
ii. Bank branches and ATMs, IT vendors for banking operations, Banking Correspondents (BCS), ATM operation and cash management agencies.
a. Bank branches be allowed to work as per normal working hours till disbursal of DBT cash transfers is complete.
b. Local administration to provide adequate security personnel at bank branches and BCS to maintain social distancing, law and order and staggering of account holders.
iii. SEBI, and capital and debt market services as notified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
iv. IRDAI and Insurance companies.
Social sector: following to remain functional:
i. Operation of homes for children/disabled/mentally challenged/senior citizens/destitutes/women/ widows.
ii. Observation homes, after care homes and places of safety for juveniles.
iii. Disbursement of social security pensions, e.g., old age/widow/freedom fighter pensions: pension and provident fund services provided by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
iv. Operation of Anganwadis – distribution of food items and nutrition once in 15 days at the doorsteps of beneficiaries, e.g., children, women and lactating mothers. Beneficiaries will not attend the Anganwadis.
Online teaching/distance learning to be encouraged:
i. All educational, training, coaching institutions etc. shall remain closed.
ii. However, these establishments are expected to maintain the academic schedule through online teaching.
iii. Maximum use of Doordarshan (DD) and other educational channels may be made for teaching purposes.
MNREGA works to be allowed:
i. MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask.
ii. Priority to be given under MNREGA to irrigation and water conservation works.
iii. Other Central and State sector schemes in irrigation and water conservation sectors may also be allowed to be implemented and suitably dovetailed with MNREGA works.
Public utilities: following to remain functional:
i. Operations of Oil and Gas sector, including refining, transportation, distribution, storage and retail of products, e.g., petrol, diesel, kerosene, CNG, LPG, PNG etc.
ii. Generation, transmission and distribution of power at Central and Statel UT levels.
iii. Postal services, including post offices.
iv. Operations of utilities in water, sanitation and waste management sectors, at municipal/local body levels in States and UTS.
v. Operation of utilities providing telecommunications and internet services.
Movement, Ioading/unloading of goods/cargo (inter and intra State) is allowed, as under:
i. All goods traffic will be allowed to ply.
ii. Operations of Railways: Transportation of goods and parcel trains.
iii. Operations of Airports and related facilities for air transport for cargo movement, relief and evacuation.
iv. Operations of Seaports and Inland Container Depots (ICDS) for cargo transport, including authorized custom clearing and forwarding agents.
v. Operations of Land Ports for cross land border transportation of essential goods, including petroleum products and LPG, food products, medical supplies.
vi. Movement of all trucks and other goods/carrier vehicles with two drivers and one helper subject to the driver carrying a valid driving license: an empty truck/vehicle will be allowed to ply after the delivery of goods, or for pick up of goods.
vii. Shops for truck repairs and dhabas on highways, with a stipulated minimum distance as prescribed by the State/UT authorities.
viii. Movement of staff and contractual labour for operations of railways, airports/air carriers, seaports/ ships/vessels, landports and ICDS is allowed on passes being issued by the local authority on the basis of authorizations issued by the respective designated authority of the railways, airports, seaports, landports and ICDS.
Supply of essential goods is allowed, as under:
i. All facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-Commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.
ii. Shops (including Kirana and single shops selling essential goods) and carts, including ration shops (under PDS), dealing with food and groceries (for daily use), hygiene items, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, poultry, meat and fish, animal feed and fodder etc, should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.
iii. District authorities may encourage and facilitate home delivery to minimize the movement of individuals outside their homes.
Commercial and private establishments, as listed below, will be allowed to operate:
i. Print and electronic media including broadcasting, DTH and cable services.
ii. IT and IT enabled Services, with upto 50% strength.
iii. Data and call centres for Government activities only.
iv. Government approved Common Service Centres (CSCS) at Gram Panchayat level.
v. E-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions.
vi. Courier services.
vii. Cold storage and warehousing services, including at ports, airports, railway stations, container Depots, individual units and other links in the logistics chain.
viii. Private security services and facilities management services for maintenance and upkeep of office and residential complexes.
ix. Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels, which are accommodating tourists and persons stranded due to lockdown, medical and emergency staff, air and sea crew.
x. Establishments used/earmarked for quarantine facilities.
xi. Services provided by self-employed persons, e.g., electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters.
Industriesl Industrial Establishments (both Government and private), as listed below, will be allowed to operate:
i. Industries operating in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.
ii. Manufacturing and other industrial establishments with access control in Special Economic Zones (SEZS) and Export Oriented Units (EOUS), industrial estates, and industrial townships. These establishments shall make arrangements for stay of workers within their premises as far as possible and/or adjacent buildings and for implementation of the Standard operating protocol (SOP) as referred to in para 21 (ii) below. The transportation of workers to work place shall be arranged by the employers in dedicated transport by ensuring social distancing.
iii. Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates.
iv. Food processing industries in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.
v. Production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain.
vi. Manufacturing of IT hardware.
vii. Coal production, mines and mineral production, their transportation, supply of explosives and activities incidental to mining operations.
viii. Manufacturing units of packaging material.
ix. Jute industries with staggered shifts and social distancing.
x. Oil and gas explorationl refinery.
xi. Brick kilns in rural areas i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.
Construction activities, listed as below, will be allowed to operate:
i. Construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMES, in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities: and all kinds of projects in industrial estates.
ii. Construction of renewable energy projects.
iii. Continuation of works in construction projects, within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside (in situ construction).
Movement of persons is allowed in the following cases:
i. Private vehicles for emergency services, including medical and veterinary care, and for procuring essential commodities. In such cases, one passenger besides the private vehicle driver can be permitted in the backseat, in case of four-wheelers; however, in case of two-wheelers, only the driver of the vehicle is to be permitted.
ii. All personnel travelling to place of work and back in the exempted categories, as per the instructions of the State/UT local authority.
Offices of the Government of India, its Autonomous/Subordinate Offices will remain open, as mentioned below:
i. Defence, Central Armed Police Forces, Health and Family Welfare, Disaster management and Early Warning Agencies (IMD, INCOIS, SASE and National Centre of Seismology, CWC), National Informatics Centre (NlC), Food Corporation of India (FCl), NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendras (NYKs) and Customs to function without any restriction.
ii. Other Ministries and Departments, and offices under their control, are to function with 100% attendance of Deputy Secretary and levels above that. Remaining officers and staff to attend upto 33% as per requirement.
Offices of the State/Union Territory Governments, their Autonomous Bodies and Local Governments will remain open, as mentioned below:
i. Police, home guards, civil defence, fire and emergency services, disaster management, prisons and municipal services will function without any restrictions.
ii. All other Departments of State/UT Governments to work with restricted staff. Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ officers may attend as required. Group ‘C’ and levels below that may attend upto 33% of strength, as per requirement to ensure social distancing. However, delivery of public services shall be ensured, and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose.
iii. District administration and Treasury (including field offices of the Accountant General) will function with restricted staff. However, delivery of public services shall be ensured, and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose.
iv. Resident Commissioner of States/UTS, in New Delhi, only to the extent of coordinating COVID-19 related activities and internal kitchen operations.
v. Forest offices: staff/workers required to operate and maintain zoo, nurseries, wildlife, fire-fighting in forests, watering plantations, patrolling and their necessary transport movement.
Persons to remain under mandatory quarantine, as under:
i. All such persons who have been directed by health care personnel to remain under strict home/institutional quarantine for a period as decided by local Health Authorities.
ii. Persons violating quarantine will be liable to legal action under Section 188 of the lPC, 1860.
iii. Quarantined persons, who have arrived in India after 15.2.2020, after expiry of their quarantine period and being tested Covid-19 negative, will be released following the protocol prescribed in the SOP issued by MHA.
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