More services to be allowed after April 20: Details here
The Centre has revised the list of what will be allowed after April 20 in areas where the impact of coronavirus is the least. Non-banking finance corporations and micro-finance institutions will be allowed to resume. To recall, India's lockdown to tackle the COVID-19 menace was extended for another 19 days on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read on for more details.
You can buy clothes and appliances from e-commerce platforms
The notification by the Home Ministry said construction in rural areas of water supply will be allowed. Power lines, telecom optical fibers, and cables can be laid. Further, the government allowed mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, laptops, clothes, and other stationery items to be sold on e-commerce websites. Till now, only groceries and medicines were allowed. The delivery vehicles, however, will need permission from authorities.
Earlier, government allowed agricultural activities to help economy
Earlier, the government allowed all agricultural activities and select industries to resume operations in areas that are not impacted by COVID-19. Farming operations and agencies involved in the procurement of agriculture items were exempted from restrictions and so were mandis that are operated by Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). The Centre said these steps will mitigate coronavirus' effect on the economy.
Relaxations were given, but with conditions
The industries were told they have to adhere to social distancing guidelines while operating. The government also banned spitting in public places and underlined those breaking rules would invite punishment. To get a better picture of how coronavirus is spreading across India, the Centre has identified green, orange, and red zones. Red zones are the worst affected and all movement is restricted there.
Today, RBI also announced measures to help economy
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Reserve Bank of India announced a slew of measures to help the sagging economy. RBI reduced its reverse repo rate for a second time in a month bringing it down to 3.75%. This will help banks lend money to various sectors rather than parking it with the apex institution. The repo rate stands at 4.4%.
