Transportation Of All Essential, Non- Essential Goods Allowed During Lockdown: MHA

he Union Home Ministry on Sunday allowed the transportation of all essential and non-essential goods in the country and the use of premises of the state disaster response force (SDRF) to shelter migrant workers and the homeless stranded due to the lockdown imposed to combat Covid-19.Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to the chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, asking them to enure that relief camps were set up at the facilities of the SDRF for homeless people, including migrant labourers, to provide them shelter and food.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.The letter made it clear that transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential, have 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.