List of activities permitted to open from April 20 along with guidelines

In a significant help to the industries, producers, and service providers, the Narendra Modi government has permitted different economic activities to work from April 20. The Ministry of Home Affairs has put out a notification permitting significant industries to work during the all-inclusive coronavirus lockdown for the advancement of farmers, every day breadwinners and to keep up an effective supply chain. The notification lists out activities that will be permitted after 20 April and those which are disallowed.

The administration has said that the step has been taken to alleviate the hardship looked by the public and these activities will be operationalized by state/UTs. In any case, it has additionally explained that the relaxation in working such activities won’t be pertinent in the containment zones.

Here’s a list of activities which will be permitted after April 20, 2020:

1. Construction of streets and for building projects in rural regions to be allowed.

2. Transportation of goods will be permitted with no distinction of essential or non-essential.

3. All agricultural and horticultural activities to remain completely utilitarian, for example, – farming tasks by farmers and farm laborers in-field, including obtainment of agricultural products, agriculture marketing through informed Mandis and direct and decentralized marketing, manufacture, distribution and retail of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds; activities of marine and inland fisheries; animal husbandry activities, including the supply chain of milk, milk products, poultry, and livestock farming; and tea, espresso, and rubber plantations are permitted to be useful.

4. To give a force to the rural economy, industries working in rural territories, including food processing industries; construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and industrial projects in rural zones; works under MNREGA, with a need to irrigation and water conservation works; and activity of rural Common Service Centres (CSCs) have all been permitted. These activities will make job opportunities for rural workers, including the migrant labor force.

5. Manufacturing and other industrial foundations with getting to control have been allowed in SEZs, EoUs, industrial estates, and industrial townships after implementation of SOP for social distancing. Assembling of IT hardware and fundamental products and packaging are additionally permitted. Coal, mineral, and oil production are permitted for activities. It is expected that the industrial and manufacturing sectors will see a recovery with these measures, and will make job opportunities while keeping up security protocols and social distancing. Simultaneously, the significant components of the financial section, e.g., RBI, banks, ATMs, capital and debt markets as informed by SEBI and insurance agencies will likewise stay utilitarian, to give enough liquidity and credit support to the industrial sectors.

6. The digital economy is essential to the services sector and is significant for national development. In like manner, e-commerce operations, activities of IT and IT empowered services, data and call centres for Government activities, and online teaching and distance learning are permitted activities now.

7. The reexamined rules likewise grant all health services and the social division to stay practical; public utilities to work with no obstruction; the supply chain of fundamental products to work with no hindrance; and, significant offices of Central and State Governments and nearby bodies to stay open with the required quality.

8. MNREGA works are permitted with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask.

The businesses should comply with stringent safety instructions proposed by MHA, some of them are as per the following:

• Wearing a face mask in workplaces is compulsory
• Temperature screening and sanitizers at the working environment a perfect requirement for employers
• No huge meetings, no shift overlaps, a gap of 1 hour to be kept up by between shifts
• Employers have additionally been solicited to promote use from Arogya Setu
• Workers should remain within the organization’s premises or in “adjacent buildings”.
• Transportation should be organized by employers

The following are some of the sectors which remain to profit by the changed guidelines:

Ecommerce, retail, Kirana stores

The guidelines of the government express all the offices in the supply chain of fundamental products, regardless of whether engaged with manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through nearby stores, huge brick and mortar stores or e-commerce organizations will be permitted to work with no limitation on their timing of opening or closure.

Welcoming these guidelines, a representative of the Flipkart Group stated, “Flipkart group is continuously working to ensure that customers have access to products as India fights this unprecedented battle. In line with the guidelines announced by the Government of India and also in collaboration with all State Governments & local authorities, we will continue to serve consumers to promote Social Distancing through our sanitized supply chain, contactless deliveries, and healthy and safe last-mile delivery process.”

The simplicity of limitations will likewise affect shops like Kirana stores, trucks which are ready to go on the sale of food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, meat and hygiene items.

As per Flipkart, it has been working together with the retail ecosystem, including Kirana stores, to guarantee the supply of basics at the doorstep of customers. This would likewise imply that vehicles utilized by ecommerce organizations will be permitted to employ with essential permissions.

A representative of Snapdeal stated, “We welcome MHA’s updated guidelines for the ecommerce sector. At this critical juncture, the ecommerce industry can ensure that citizens stay indoors and all their needs are met through home deliveries with immense precautions.”

All goods traffic will be permitted to utilize, which additionally incorporates air cargo, permitting the simpler movement of products.

IT industry, hardware, manufacturing

The government has empowered the IT industry and IT-empowered services (BPOs) to work at a limit of 50 percent quality. This should come as a major boost for the industry which has moved to work from home mode since the time the lockdown was declared.

IT hardware will be permitted to continue manufacturing, carrying alleviation similarly as with more employees observing work from home, there is expanded demand for PCs, cell phones, and related accessories.

Welcoming this decision, Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology (MAIT) President Nitin Kunkolienker stated, “This move was the need of the hour as all digital and communication highways are built using electronic and ICT products; this was extremely essential as all utilities need these products otherwise imports would have catered to this pent up demand for ICT products estimated at $2.5 billion per month.”

Also, manufacturing and other industrial foundations with getting to control in special economic zones (SEZs), export-oriented units, industrial estates, and industrial townships have been permitted to work.

Agriculture

Every agricultural activity is to be completely operational, which incorporates farming activities by farmers, farmworkers, and offices working in the acquirement of agriculture items. This likewise incorporates opening up foundations that are identified with agriculture like fertilizers, machinery and so forth.

Tea, coffee, and rubber plantations, with a most extreme 50 percent of employees, will be permitted to begin their activities. Animal husbandry and fisheries are likewise permitted to continue their tasks.

Financial sector

RBI and its managed financial markets, as NPCI, CCI, payment system operators, Bank offices and ATMs will be open.

Education

Online teaching and distance education is empowered, even though educational foundations are shut. The institutions are relied upon to keep up an academic schedule through online teaching.

Hygiene guidelines

The opening of these business foundations will likewise imply that all working environments ought to have satisfactory game plans for temperature screening and give sanitizers.

Working environments are required to have a gap of one hour between shifts, with staggered lunch breaks. There will likewise be visit cleaning of regular surfaces and give escalated communication on hygiene.

Additionally, other basic services like electricians, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters will be permitted to continue their services.