State lifts curbs on e-commerce, agri activities

Even though the lockdown in the state will be extended to May 3, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday lifted restrictions on movement of goods within the state

Even though the lockdown in the state will be extended to May 3, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday lifted restrictions on movement of goods within the state as well as e-commerce of all goods to reactivate some level of economic activity. Besides this a majority of agriculture, fishing, forest activities are now permitted, as per the guidelines of the Centre.

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The state government issued a notification on Wednesday, cleared by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta, explaining the exceptions to the lockdown. For instance the notification states: “The state has allowed all interstate and intrastate movement of trucks and good carrier vehicles irrespective of the nature of the cargo whether it is essential or not.”

The notification states that vehicles with one driver and one additional person will be allowed with all kinds of cargo and no further approval is required for the same. However, all state borders will continue to remain sealed for passenger movement. Besides transport of all goods, warehousing services, wholesale services, cold storage and distribution services of all goods is now permitted. Another major exception is for e-commerce. “E-commerce delivery of all goods and services, including food, pharmaceutical, medical, electrical and electronic appliances, will now be allowed,”says the notification.

All this will be allowed within Mumbai as well, but will not be permitted within containment zones, said a senior official.

Shops selling farsan, confectionaries and snacks which have no dining facility will be permitted to stay open, besides truck repair shops on highways at fuel pumps and repair shops for power transformers as required by power distribution companies. In the manufacturing sector, MSMEs engaged in the manufacture of essential activities such as wheat flour, pulse edible oils, besides units making fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, along with those involved in packaging of food items, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, among others, are allowed to function.

“The idea behind lifting the restrictions is to allow the economic activity to restart, even if it is minimal. For instance, many companies have not been able to deliver on past orders, as their inventory is stuck. People who may need to buy electrical appliances can now purchase it or at least get their orders delivered. For the state exchequer, too, this will make some minor difference in revenues,” said a senior bureaucrat.

The major exception, however, has been to ensure that agriculture activity in the state is not stalled and farmers get relief, which is why restrictions on cotton, tur dal procurement, direct marketing by farmers, supply chain of agro produce have been lifted.