Covid-19: Govt allows transportation of all essential, non-essential goods

The Union Home Ministry on Sunday allowed the transportation of all essential and non-essential goods in the country and the use of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to provide shelter to migrant workers and the homeless stranded due to the lockdown imposed to combat Covid-19.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, asking them to enure that relief camps were set up for homeless people, including migrant labourers, to provide them shelter and food.

“I would also like to inform that the central government has also allowed use of SDRF for homeless people, including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown measures, and sheltered in the relief camps and other places for providing them food etc., for the containment of spread of Covid-19 virus in the country,” the letter read.

It said the home ministry had already issued an order invoking the Disaster Management Act, under which the district authorities were asked to strictly implement additional measures to stop the movement of migrant workers and provide them quarantine facilities, shelter and food, and ensure payment of wages and non-eviction by their landlords.

“Its strict implementation needs to be ensured,” the home secretary said in his letter, and added that the district authorities and the field agencies should be informed so as to avoid any ambiguity at the ground level.

Ghaziabad: Migrants wait to board a bus to their native villages, during a nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, at Kaushambi in Ghaziabad. Photo: PTI

The letter made it clear that transportation of all goods, without distinction on grounds of essential and non-essential, has been allowed.

The home secretary also made it clear that the newspaper delivery supply chain is allowed under exemptions given for print media.

Bhalla added that the entire supply chain of milk collection and distribution, including its packing material, has also been allowed during the lockdown period, along with groceries.

“Groceries, including hygiene products such as hand wash, soaps, disinfectants, body wash, shampoos, surface cleaners, detergents and tissue papers, toothpaste/oral care, sanitary pads and diapers, battery cells, chargers etc.,” are permitted during the lockdown.

The home secretary also included the services of the Indian Red Cross Society under the Establishment of National Disaster Management Authority.

Migrant workers along with their family members wait to board buses to their respective villages, amid a nationwide lockdown in wake of coronavirus pandemic, at Lal Quarter Bus Stand in New Delhi, Sunday | Photo: PTI

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has also been exempted and asked to work with bare minimum staff.

A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 for 21 days in order to arrest the spread of coronavirus in the country.

70-year-old woman dies after K'taka police deny entry to ambulance 

An ambulance ferrying a seriously ill 70-year-old woman from here to a hospital in nearby Mangaluru was allegedy not allowed by Karnataka police to cross the Thalapady border, following which she died on Sunday morning, her family claimed.

The woman from Karnataka had come to stay with her son here and was being rushed to a Mangaluru hospital after her condition deteriorated, the family said. Despite pleas by the family and ambulance driver, police did not allow the vehicle to cross the border and turned it back on Saturday, they alleged.

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* The labour ministry has allowed over 60 million subscribers of retirement fund body EPFO to withdraw an amount not exceeding their three months basic pay and dearness allowance from their EPF account in view of the lockdown to fight Covid-19

* People living in Kolkata will now be able to order raw fish online as the West Bengal government decided to sell the staple directly to the customers to tackle rising prices amid the nationwide lockdown

* The Centre has suspended two senior Delhi government officers and served showcause notices on two others for “serious lapses” in duty during the  lockdown. The two officers are: Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) and Principal Secretary (Finance)