Ministry of Home clarifies on issues being faced by state/UT govts in ensuring supply of essential goods

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday clarified the ground level issues being faced by states in ensuring smooth flow of the supply chain of essential items during nationwide lockdown to fight COVID-19.

"Exceptions to sale (including through eCommerce), production, warehousing and transport of essential goods such as food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk products, meat and fish, animal fodder, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, agriculture produce, drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediaries have been specifically mentioned in the guidelines for transport of essential goods. In my letter dated March 29, it was clarified that grocery would include hygiene products, charger and battery cells, etc," Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said in a letter written to the states/UTs.

"At the ground level different interpretations are being made on the items given exceptions, which hinder the smooth flow of supply chain of these essential items," he added.

Suggestions have also been received from some quarters in regard to these Guidelines. In view of these developments, Union Home Secretary, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla has written to all State Chief Secretaries clarifying on ground level issues being faced by States in ensuring smooth flow of supply chain of essential items during national lockdown to fight COVID-19. The communication deals in detail with different categories of essential items exempt from the lockdown restrictions.

The Home Secretary outlined the measures that could be taken at the ground level to ensure smooth supply of essential goods.

The State/UT governments are advised to interpret food and grocery items as all items of food and grocery that are usually consumed by people on day to day basis.

Production, warehousing and transport of essential goods are included under exceptions in the guidelines and the district authorities are issuing individual passes to businesses covered in the exempted category. Difficulties in getting passes are, however, being faced by businesses having nation-wide supply chains of essential goods.

In order to address this concern, the State/UT Governments have been advised to issue authorization letters to companies/ organizations having nation-wide supply chains of essential goods, allowing them to issue regional passes for easy movement of critical staff and workers in order to maintain their national supply chains. It has been further advised to keep the numbers of such authorizations bare minimum.

Railways, ports and Airports are allowed to issue passes for a critical mass of staff and contractual labour that are essential for the movement of essential goods, the Home Ministry said.

"Inter-state and Intra-state movement of all trucks and other goods/carrier vehicles should be facilitated by local authorities for licensed drivers and one helper," it added.

The Home Ministry further said that all movement of persons with the passes shall be subject to strict adherence to norms for hygiene and social distancing as is required in the context of COVID-19.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday said that there are 2,547 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 2,322 active cases, 163 cured/discharged/migrated people and 62 deaths.