The Odisha government has been taking several measures to maintain normalcy amidst the lockdown. In this extended lockdown, which will continue till April 30, the state government had announced relaxations in the farm and allied sectors, which are in line with the revised guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Apart from this, the MHA issued guidelines has relaxed restrictions on commercial and private establishments such as print and electronic media, construction industry, IT, ITES, data and call centres, standard services centres, e-com firms, vehicles used by such companies, courier services, private security, and facility management services. Small scale businesses and self-employed electricians, IT workers, maintenance workers, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters can also resume work.
However, the guidelines issued by the union government differ from that of the state in a few areas. Sectors such as manufacturing and industrial establishments have the permission to operate as per the union lockdown 2.0. Thus, Odisha, which has two primary industrial clusters in Jajpur and Jharsuguda districts, besides units scattered across the state, will have to reconsider its lockdown rules.
As per sources, the state government is in the process of making necessary tweaks as per the revised guidelines issued by the centre.