The Home Ministry on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines covering additional people and services who will be exempted from the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the new guidelines, the ministry said Reserve Bank ofIndia and RBI-regulated financial markets, pay and accounts officers and fieldofficers of the CAG, petroleum products and supply chain and forest staff areexempted from the purview of the lockdown.
Those people handling cargo operations in airports andrailway stations, coal mining activities, officers and staff of residentcommissioners based in Delhi and customs clearance at ports, airports and landborders are also exempted.
Forest offices staff and workers required to operate andmaintain zoo, nurseries, wildlife, fire fighting in forests, wateringplantations, patrolling and their necessary transport movement, social welfaredepartment staff for operations of homes for children, disabled, senior citizens,destitute women, widows, observation homes and pensions service are alsoexempted, the guidelines said.
After Modi’s announcement, the home ministry on Tuesdaynight issued some guidelines for enforcement of the nationwide lockdown.
The guidelines listed several services including governmentand private offices that will be out of bounds during the period, whileexempting establishments such as hospitals, ration shops, dairies, banks,insurance offices, and print and electronic media.
Delivery of all essential goods including food,pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through e-commerce has also been exemptedfrom the purview of the lockdown.
“All enforcing authorities to note that these strictrestrictions fundamentally relate to movement of people, but not to that ofessential goods,” the guidelines issued on Tuesday said.
In Wednesday’s guidelines, veterinary hospitals, pharmacies(including Jan Aushadhi Kendra) and pharmaceutical research laboratories, ITvendor for banking operations, banking correspondent and ATM operations andcash management agencies were exempted.
Shops for seeds and pesticides data and call centre forgovernment, manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs,pharmaceutical, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates, coal andmineral production, transportation, supply of explosives and activitiesincidental to mining operations were exempted from the 21-day lockdown.
Manufacturing units of packaging material for food items,drugs, pharmaceutical and medical devices, inter-state movement of goods/cargofor inland and exports, cross land border movement of essential goods includingpetroleum products and LPG, food products, medical supplies were also exempted.
The guidelines on Tuesday said all educational, training,research, coaching institutions etc., shall remain closed, places of worshipshall remain closed. No religious congregations will be permitted, without anyexception.”All social/political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functionsgatherings shall be barred,” they said.