Economy in mess, industries ministry pushes MHA to open up certain sectors

With a further extension of the COVID-19 lockdown expected to push the country’s economy to great distress, ministry of commerce and industry pushes MHA to open up certain sectors, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi:With a further extension of the contagion-induced lockdown expect to further push the country’s economy to a greater mess, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the ministry of industries and commerce has sought directions by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allow and ensure that certain sectors be up and running.

A letter written by DPIIT secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra to Ajay Bhalla, home secretary, and dated April 11, says: “It is felt that certain more activities with reasonable safeguards should be allowed once a final decision regarding extension and nature of lockdown is taken by the central government.”

“These new activities are essential to improve the economic activity and provide liquidity in the hands of the people. These suggestions have been obtained on the basis of very detailed interaction of the Hon’ble CIM (commerce and industries minister) with the various states and industry bodies.”

The activities whose resumption has been suggested are in addition to those that were already exempted from the 21-day lockdown announced from March 24.

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However, the DPIIT suggested that the industries allowed to operate must fulfill certain conditions that include: (a) single entry points for workers, (b) sufficient space for ensuring social distancing, (c) use of separate transport for ferrying workers or make stay arrangements in factory premises, (d) high quality regular sanitization of the premises, (e) state and district authorities, while allowing these new activities should ensure strict observance.

The 16 industries that are sought to be reopened with minimum manpower, proper sanitation, distancing norms and safeguards on a single shift basis are:

(a) heavy electrical items like transformers and circuit vehicles,

(b) telecom equipment and components including optic fiber cable,

(c) compressor and condenser units,

(d) steel and ferrous alloy mills,

(e) spinning and ginning mills, power looms,

(f) defence and its ancillary units,

(g) cement plants,

(h) pulp and paper units,

(i) fertilizer plants,

(j) paints and dyes manufacturing,

(k) all types of food and beverages,

(l) seeds processing units,

(m) plastic manufacturing units,

(n) automotive units,

(o) gems and jewellery sector units,

and

(p) all units in SEZs and EOUs (development commissioners to be given responsibility of ensuring sanitation and distancing norms/safeguards).

Besides the above, the DPIIT also suggested that all street vendors like fruit and vegetable sellers should be allowed to improve doorstep delivery and also to provide much needed liquidity to the population.

Also, certain repairing units like those individuals or small agencies involved in providing repair services in mobile, electrical items like refrigerator, air conditioner, television etc, plumbing, cobblers, ironing (dhobi), electrician, automobile mechanics, cycle repair mechanics should be allowed. However, these individuals should also carry their ID cards and operate at their stalls or traditional sites.

The DPIIT also sought opening of certain rubber-based industries that produce essential items related to medical and health care and domestic system related manufacturing items. “Such rubber items may be given priority for starting manufacturing, while keeping in mind the safety, sanitation and distancing norms”, the letter said.

Similarly, the industries ministry also sought exemptions and restarting of certain verticals like timber, plywood and wood-based industry that provides packaging material to pharma companies, FMCG and other companies producing essential commodities, besides the glass and foundry industry.

The ministry also wanted that banks and customs should accept “digital documents under bonds without insisting on the original document which can be produced when the lockdown is over”.

This was over and above the exemption of all activities related to agriculture inputs, and production, distribution and sale of agro-chemical.