Centre Adds More To List Of What Is Allowed After April 20 Amid Lockdown

The government has made new additions to the list of activities that will be allowed amid lockdown in parts of the country that are least affected by coronavirus.

Non-banking finance corporations and micro-finance institutions will be marked essential services that can resume. Coconut, spice bamboo, areca nut and cocoa plantations, and forest produce by scheduled tribes have also been added to the list.

Construction in rural areas of water supply and sanitation and laying of power lines and telecom optical fibres and cables will also be allowed, according to a notification put out by the home ministry. 

Last night, the government said mobile phones, televisions, refrigerators, laptops, clothes and stationery items for schoolchildren can be sold on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal, along with essential commodities like groceries and medicines.

Delivery vans of the e-commerce companies would, however, need permission from authorities to operate on roads.

The government has come out with guidelines for the revival of industrial and commercial activities after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended till May 3 the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus in the country.

After continuing a strict lockdown till April 20, the districts that are not virus hotspots will be allowed to resume some industrial, construction and manufacturing activities as the government attempts to restart the economy and move towards a gradual exit from the nationwide shutdown to prevent the infection from spreading rapidly.

The home ministry has also issued guidelines for social distancing and other precautions to be maintained at workplaces while these activities take off again.