What will PM Narendra Modi announce today?

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce an extension of the coronavirus closure in his morning address to the nation, while it is likely to begin to relax from the rural heartland, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Agriculture will be central to this facilitation process: rabi harvesting and procurement operations in conjunction with allied industry segments will be able to operate with adequate safeguards, the people quoted above said. The rabi season contributes almost 50% to the production of food grains.

“Collection and acquisition must begin … that’s a priority,” said one of them. “Other activities and sectors that support them would also have to be opened with security precautions.” For example, the acquisition may require construction, and that may require cement, which may also have to be opened.

Although the ministries of health and the home favor total containment, other ministries have supported selective openness in view of the broader consequences of a stagnant economy.

The Center is compiling contributions from ministries and states on graduated relaxations in the second phase of closure beginning April 15. The Home Office will issue revised guidelines to all states under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The current three-week shutdown is due to end on April 14.

“Interconnected supply chains”

The Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, commerce, agriculture, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, road transport, food processing and other ministries have communicated with the Ministry of the Interior about the process of opening, an official said. Detailed guidelines will be issued based on discussions by the finance ministry with other ministries and comments from the industry.

Relieving some aspects of the blockade has become imperative to guarantee the supply of essential elements as supply chains are interconnected, another official said.

“Distribution channels are closely interconnected: distributor, dealer and retailer,” he said. “In addition, there are also interconnections in manufacturing.” For example, an oil manufacturing unit must be supported by a packaging unit, a printing unit and these in turn need an adequate supply of inputs to keep the chain running, he said.

Non-BJP-governed states, such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, issued orders Monday under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897, to extend the blockade until the end of April. Other opposition-ruled states, such as West Bengal, Punjab, Odisha, Telangana, and Delhi, have also announced that they will extend the blockade. BJP-ruled states will follow the lead of the prime minister. However, Uttar Pradesh said on Monday that construction activity on government projects such as roads and highways would start from April 15 with workers practicing social distancing. This may appear in the revised Ministry of Interior guidelines for the next phase of the blockade.

Niti Aayog has also given a detailed plan to ease the blockade.

“Extending the complete closure would have serious consequences for the economy, making partial opening the only option,” said an official.

The order will specify guidelines on the health and movement of people that states must follow, one of the people said. State governments must ensure that adequate safety protocols are followed on the ground.

“Extensive consultations are taking place with the main factor of the work being considered,” said an official. “States have to find out how much work is migrant and how many are stationed in their homes in order to come up with an exit strategy.”

Industries must ensure adequate ventilation and disinfection of workers when entering and leaving the factory.

“The textile industry ranges from handlooms to sophisticated factory floors,” said the official. “In the case of handlooms, where people do not have to work close to each other and generally operate from their homes, but have to go to markets to sell their products, these are not problem areas, but all the value chain is linked. We can’t have a strategy for garments, but not for yarn. ”

Industry plan for agricultural products

The Confederation of Indian Industry (IIC) has produced a comprehensive guidance document on security measures during post-harvest and mandi operations to ensure the smooth supply of agricultural products.

IIC said the current crisis has impacted harvesting operations for rabi crops such as wheat, mustard, legumes, oilseeds, tomatoes and mango. Arrivals and prices in mandis have been affected and all efforts must be made for a resilient agricultural sector. The rabi season is critical to the safety of cereals, oilseeds and legumes.

“Agri-food supply chains are vulnerable to massive disruptions that can further affect availability and prices, therefore proactive measures are required for the safety and health of farmers and workers, both at the farm and farm level. mandi, “said IIC CEO Chandrajit Banerjee. . “While the country is in lockdown mode, it is essential that harvest and post-harvest activities remain functional so that farmers do not suffer and crops are not lost.”

The health ministry said in the daily briefing on Monday that the importance of “saving lives and livelihoods” was reflected in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana with 300 million people receiving Rs 28,526 million in financial assistance.