As the 21-day lockdown is expected to end on Tuesday, the Government has decided to get the country going once again by allowing 15 various industries to commence operations but with minimum manpower and distancing norms on a single shift basis.
These include those involved in manufacturing of heavy electrical items like transformers and circuit vehicles, telecom equipment and components including optic fiber cable, compressor and condenser units, steel and ferrous alloy mills, spinning and ginning mills, power looms, and defence and defence ancillary units.
Cement plants, however, can run in three shifts as cement production is a continuous process.
Pulp and paper units can resume their production in clusters where COVID-19 cases are low based on the data by the state authorities, said a Home Ministry direction issued to all state and Union Territory Chief Secretaries.A
Fertiliser plants, paints and dyes manufacturing, all types of food and beverages, seeds processing units, plastic manufacturing units, automotive units, gems and jewellery sector units, all units in Special Economic Zones and Export Oriented Units have also been exempted from nationwide lockdown measures.
Also, the government has decided to allow trucks, repair services, and street vendors to start work.
The above decisions are being perceived as a step towards the exit strategy.
The Home Ministry instructed that the Development Commissioners will be given responsibility for ensuring sanitation and distancing norms.
District authorities will monitor and ensure that those sectors which are allowed exemption from lockdown need to adhere to safety, sanitation and distancing norms.
The government issued the instructions in view of maintaining a supply chain of essential goods for the welfare of during the lockdown period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the chief ministers of states on Saturday after which several CMs, including Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal, said the Centre has agreed to extend the lockdown. However, a final announcement is yet to come from the government.
PM Narendra Modi has also asked state governments to effectively implement the lockdown and stop violations. He announced a shift in the government’s focus to “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi” (life and livelihood both). This is being seen as an indication towards some relaxation in economic activities which has suffered a severe blow because of the 21-day lockdown.