Lockdown 2.0: Govt Exempts Additional Agricultural, Forestry Items, Shops of Educational Books, Electric Fans from Restrictions

Amid the nationwide lockdown to fight COVID-19, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an order to exempt certain activities under the consolidated revised guidelines.

As per reports, the government has exempted additional agricultural and forestry items, shops of educational books for students and shops of electric fans from lockdown restrictions to fight COVID19. Further, MHA has also issued SOPs on sign-on/sign-off for Indian seafarers at Indian ports and their movement for the same. 

In the revised consolidated guidelines issued on April 19, the Government had said, to mitigate hardship to the public, select additional activities will be allowed with effect from April 20. However, these do not apply to containment zones as demarcated by States/UTs/District administartions, says PIB reports. 

These Services & Activities are exempted from Lockdown Rule 

Facilities for export or import such as pack houses, inspection and treatment facilities for seeds and horticulture produce and research establishments dealing with the agriculture and horticulture activities have been exempted from the purview of the lockdown in the recent update. 

Shops of educational books for students and electric fans will be allowed to be opened for public. 

Inter and intra-state movement of planting materials and honey bee colonies, honey and other beehive products will also be allowed to function, said a home ministry order. So will forest offices, forestry plantation and related activities, including Silviculture operations. 

Also, in-house care-givers of senior citizens, prepaid mobile recharge utilities, food-processing units in urban areas have been exempted from lockdown restrictions to fight COVID-19. 

These food processing units include bread factories, milk processing plants, flour mills, dal mills etc, located in urban areas. 

The Government had on April 19 revised the list of economic activities and services allowed from April 20 in parts of the country least affected by the novel Coronavirus outbreak. 

As per a Home Ministry order, the supply of non-essential goods by e-commerce companies has now been prohibited during the lockdown period. The supply of such goods including, mobile phones, laptops, television sets and refrigerators, had been permitted by the government earlier. 

Among economic activities and services to be functional are health services (including Ministry of AYUSH) and non-banking financial corporations and micro-finance institutions marked essential services. 

Here is a list of services that had been allowed to function all over India with effect from 20th April 2020. 

• MNREGA works (with strict social distancing and use of face masks)

• Financial sector (govt & private banks)

• Social sector

• Public utilities and offices

• Loading and unloading of goods/cargo state

• Online teaching/distance learning

• Supply of essential goods

• Commercial and private establishments

• Industries/industrial establishments (both government and private)

• Construction activities

• Private vehicles for emergency services (medical and veterinary care), procuring essential commodities and for personnel travelling to workplaces in exempted categories, as per instructions of state/union territory authorities

  Note: Relaxations under the above-mentioned items would not be applicable to Hotspots/containment zones. These activities would not be permitted in these zones.