Lok Sabha Question No. 273 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-20
Subject: Easing of Lockdown Norms
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Girish Bhalchandra Bapat, Rahul Ramesh Shewale, Pritam Gopinath Munde

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 273

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 20 TH  JULY, 2021/ ASHADHA 29, 1943 (SAKA)

EASING OF LOCKDOWN NORMS

273.      SHRI GIRISH BHALCHANDRA BAPAT: SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE: DR. PRITAM GOPINATHRAO MUNDE:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether easing of lockdown norms, which were necessitated in AprilMay  2021  by  the  devastating  second  wave  of  infections,  has  led  to crowding in markets and other public places; if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is extremely important to follow the strategy that includes observing covid appropriate behaviour, the test-track-treat approach and boosting vaccinations;
- (c)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  issued  instructions  to  the  State Governments in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the Central assistance provided or proposed to be provided to States in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a):    Physical/social distancing (along with respiratory and hand hygiene) is an established non-pharmaceutical intervention for managing communicable  diseases,  especially  those  which  spread  by  respiratory

## L.S.US.Q.NO.273 FOR 20.07.2021

route.  Easing  of  lockdown  by  States/  Union  Territories  (UTs)  combined with pandemic fatigue, lack of community adherence to COVID appropriate behavior  and  evolution  and  circulation  of  more  transmissible  variants  of SARS-CoV-2 viruses, all played part in second surge that India witnessed during April to May 2021. A number of Central teams deployed by Ministry of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  (MoHFW)  to  States/UTs  during  February  to May pointed out lack of adherence to COVID appropriate behavior and suboptimal efforts at containment.

(b)  to  (d):  For  effective  containment  of  COVID-19  in  the  country,  the Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  has  been  issuing  Orders  and  Guidelines from time-to-time under the Disaster Management Act (DM Act), 2005. On 29 th  April, 2021, MHA issued Order directing all States and UTs to consider the containment measures, as had been conveyed in the advisory of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), dated 25 th  April, 2021, for immediate implementation based on the assessment of the situation.  All the States and UTs were asked to implement the necessary containment measures, under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005. MoHFW, in their advisory dated 25.4.2021, had asked the States and  UTs to identify  districts  where  either  the  tests  positivity  had been

## L.S.US.Q.NO.273 FOR 20.07.2021

more  than  10  percent  or  more  in  the  last  one  week;  or,  where  bed occupancy was more than 60 percent; districts fulfilling any of the above two criteria should be considered for taking intensive and local containment measures.MHA  vide D.O. letters dated 26.04.2021 and 27.05.2021,  requested  all  States/  UTs  for  taking  effective  containment measures. MHA  issued order dated 29.06.2021 vide  which  MoHFW framework  dated  28.06.2021  for  the  States/  UTs  as  guiding  principle  to implement graded restrictions/ relaxations measures for COVID-19 management,  based  on  the  burden  of  disease  and  strain  on  healthcare infrastructure  was  also  endorsed.  In  addition,  MHA  vide the  D.O.  letters dated 19.06.2021, 29.06.2021 and 14.07.2021 have requested States/UTs for regulating the crowded places and for following the five-fold strategy for  effective  management  of  COVID-19  i.e.  Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to COVID appropriate behavior.

(e): Central Government  has  been  providing required technical and financial assistance to all States/UTs for strengthening of their healthcare system.    Central  Government  has  approved  'India  COVID-19  Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness package' and Rs 15,000 Crore was provided under the package in April 2020 with an objective to prevent,

## L.S.US.Q.NO.273 FOR 20.07.2021

detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19. Further, 'India COVID19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness Package: PhaseII' has also been approved by the Government for an amount of Rs 23,123 crore (with Rs. 15,000 Crore as Central share & Rs. 8,123 crore as State share) for the Financial Year 2021-22.

In  addition,  the  Central  Government  by  way  of  a  special  one-time dispensation  has  allowed  use  of  State  Disaster  Response  Fund  (SDRF) towards COVID-19 containment measures with the ceiling of upto 35% for the financial year 2019-20 and upto 50% for the financial year 2020-21 and financial year 2021-22, of the annual allocation of SDRF.

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