CII seeks exemption for e-commerce amid lockdown

By

Maverick Martins

Published
Mar 23, 2020

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has requested the government to exempt services such as e-commerce, delivery boys and supply chain vendors from section 144 imposed in most States amid the coronavirus outbreak.
 

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) imposes power to the executive magistrate to restrict particular or a group of persons residing in a particular area while visiting a certain place or area. This move was implemented to prevent a danger to human life health and safety and to ultimately slow down the spread of Covid-19.
 
“For safeguarding the uninterrupted supply of consumer items in the market, CII urges the government to keep the manufacturing facilities of the food processing industry open under the strictest of safety and hygiene guidelines,” Chandrajit Banerjee director general CII said in a statement.

“Any executive order or section 144 restrictions should include the exemption for these manufacturing facilities and food delivery services,” he added.
 
Central and state governments completely shut down 75 districts across the country. With a population of more than 1.3 billion people, India is trying to battle a pandemic with limited resources.