The State government on Monday issued a notification officially extending the lockdown in the Maharashtra up to and inclusive of April 30.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had announced last week that he has informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the extension. Meanwhile, Mr. Modi will be addressing the nation on Tuesday morning and is likely to speak about the lockdown.
Mr. Thackeray, in his address, had said the government was working on details as to whether certain areas can be relieved of he lockdown and controlled movement can be started. Taking a cue from this, the State’s Industries Department has begun preparations to chalk out the plan on restarting industries in districts other than Mumbai and Pune with certain restrictions.
Maharashtra’s Industries Minister Subhash Desai on Monday held a departmental meeting to prepare the plan for the same.
“We have given instructions to come up with a plan under which industries in districts other than Mumbai and Pune can be restarted with certain restrictions. The areas with severe infection of COVID-19 will not be included in it,” he said.
Mr. Desai said the department is giving preference to start food processing industries. “This will ensure agricultural produce is being utilised with farmers getting paid, and also contract labourers will get jobs and payments,” he said.
Both Mr. Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who holds the portfolio of Finance Department, have been consistent in their reminder about the ill-effects of the virus on State’s economy and the need to be prepared to face a bigger battle in the post-pandemic world.
Meanwhile, the notification to extend the lockdown said that on March 25, 2020, the government in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, read with all other enabling provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, notified lockdown in the entire State of Maharashtra with immediate effect till midnight of April 14, 2020.
The notification added, “it is expedient to take measures further to contain the spread of virus.” As a result, it said, “the lockdown orders issued vide notification dated 25th March 2020 shall now be extended up to and inclusive of April 30, 2020.”