The Ministry of Home Affairs has put out a notification allowing important industries to operate during the extended coronavirus lockdown for the betterment of farmers, daily wage earners and to maintain efficient supply chain. The notification lists out activities that will be allowed after 20 April and those which are prohibited.
“The permitted activities from April 20, 2020 are aimed at ensuring that agricultural and related activities remain fully functional; the rural economy functions with maximum efficiency; employment opportunities are created for daily wage earners and other members of the labour force; select industrial activities are allowed to resume their operations, with adequate safeguards and mandatory standard operating protocols (SOPs); and the digital economy,” a notification put out by home ministry reads.
Here’s a list of activities which will be allowed after April 20, 2020:
1) Construction of roads and for building projects in rural areas to be permitted.
2) Transportation of goods will be permitted without any distinction of essential or non essential.
3) All agricultural & horticultural activities to remain fully functional, such as – farming operations by farmers & farm workers in field, 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 are allowed to be functional.
4) To provide an impetus to the rural economy, 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 labor, including the migrant labor force.
5) 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. It is expected that the industrial and manufacturing sectors will see a revival with these measures, and will create job opportunities while maintaining safety protocols and social distancing. At the same time, the important components of the financial sector, e.g., RBI, banks, ATMs, capital and debt markets as notified by SEBI and insurance companies will also remain functional, with a view to provide enough liquidity and credit support to the industrial sectors.
6) 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.
7) 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 required strength.
8) MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing & face mask.
The employers will have to abide by stringent safety instructions suggested by MHA, some of them are as follows:
1) Wearing a face mask in work places is mandatory
2) Temperature screening and sanitizers at workplace a must for employers
3) No large meetings, no shift overlaps, gap of 1 hour to be maintained by between shifts
4) Employers have also been asked to promote use of Arogya Setu
5) Workers will have to stay within the company’s premises or in “adjacent buildings”.
6) Transportation will have to be arranged by employers