Covid-19: Appoint nodal officer, set up helplines, MHA tells states

Amid transportation of essential services and people engaged in providing essential services facing trouble during lock-down due to Covid-19, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states to set up helplines at state and district levels and appoint a Nodal Officer to ensure unhindered operation of essential services.

The MHA directive to Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a 21-day national lock-down to tackle the spread of Covid-19 and complaints from several places that police were stopping the transportation of essential services while people engaged in such services facing harassment on way to work as well as stigma at their locality.

In his letter to Chief Secretaries and DGPs, MHA Deputy Secretary Srinivasu Kollipaka said it is imperative to successfully implement the lock-down but it is also necessary to ensure the unhindered operation of manufacturing, processing, transportation, distribution, storage, trade and logistics related to all services and establishments and commodities required for the delivery of essential services.

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To ensure that these "provisions are seamlessly available at ground level", the MHA wants the states and union territories to immediately set up a round-the-clock Control Room with helplines at the state and district levels to address any "grievance or undue problems" faced by the providers of goods and services, including during inter-state movement.

"A Nodal officer at state may be appointed to coordinate with the district administration/police in this matter. This is necessary to ensure continuity of supply chain of essential commodities, several of which may be of perishable nature," Kollipaka said in his letter sent on Tuesday night.

The MHA also wanted states to lay down a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for the unhindered operation of essential services and commodities, including the appointment of nodal officers at inter-state borders and the issue of vehicular passes/e-passes among others.

Amid complaints that several people, including healthcare professionals, facing eviction from their rented accommodation due to fear of Covid-19, the MHA said the states should make State Helpline facility available to ensure adequate protection to essential service providers, government and PSU employees and healthcare workers from "any unwanted stigmatization by any local persons on any grounds", including their working in an exposed environment like hospitals, public facilities, and essential service facilities. Air India and IndiGo had also said that their crew, which flew people from abroad, also faced ostracization.

On Monday, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade had asked states to not obstruct and call for the closure of food processing units, as they manufacture foodstuff to maintain uninterrupted supply.

The DPIIT had also asked states all retail, grocery, and other essential shops should be allowed to function to prevent "panic buying".