Corona lockdown: UP to allow e-commerce firms to make doorstep delivery

Local authorities to issue passes for this purpose; govt also allows unrestricted movement of trucks

In order to ease the availability of food items and other consumables during the lockdown following coronavirus outbreak, the Uttar Pradesh government has relaxed the norms for e-commerce companies, enabling them to make doorstep delivery.

According to UP additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi, local authorities would issue passes on demand to e-commerce companies.

“E-commerce companies have been advised to contact the respective district authorities for the resolution of their grievances and issuance of passes,” he told the media here this evening.

Besides, the government has decided to allow unrestricted movement of trucks across the state to ensure that the supply chain of various commodities is not impeded. However, there is complete prohibition on the movement of people aboard such people, he warned.

He said the government was taking all steps to preempt any shortage of food items, including fruits, vegetables, food grain and flour during the lockdown period. “Nearly 1,090 community kitchens are functioning in the state and they have distributed about 380,000 food packets to the poor.”

Besides, almost 2 million litres of milk were supplied in UP through more than 12,200 vans. Around 16,200 provision stores and 2,067 medical shops have been allowed to function to cater the consumers, he added.

“The state has made provision of 11,311 motorised vans and 24,015 hand carts for the doorstep delivery of fruits and vegetables in the state,” Awasthi informed.

Meanwhile, the state has supplied 50,000 tonnes of wheat to the different flour mills operating to overcome the supply constraints in wake of the lockdown and panic buying in the market.

So far, 88 positive coronavirus cases have been identified in UP, of which 14 had been discharged after treatment, while the remaining patients, who are said to be normal, are convalescing in different hospitals without requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support.

Yogi Adityanath has written letter to his counterparts in 18 states, including Delhi, Kerala etc, urging them to arrange for the proper food and stay of the UP origin migrant labourers.

A total of 2,430 samples have so far been sent for testing, of which 2,305 samples turned out to be negative. The state has a three-tier medical protocol to deal with coronavirus comprising community health centres, district hospitals and super specialty hospitals at the local/block, district and state levels respectively.

So far, UP Police have registered 5,516 first information reports (FIR) under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for defying the lockdown orders pertaining to the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Besides, 40 cases were registered under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) against 58 persons. More than 20 FIRs were filed under charges of black marketing and hoarding across the state.

Meanwhile, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has written letter to his counterparts in 18 states, including Delhi, Kerala etc, urging them to arrange for the proper food and stay of the UP origin migrant labourers during the ongoing lockdown period. The state has already deployed nodal officers for these state