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Amid Covid-19 second wave, Centre may not weigh in on 'essential' debate Will let states define what kind of e-com deliveries will be allowed
Despite several requests from the industry to define essential and non-essential commodities, the Centre has indicated that it will not step in. Instead, it will let the respective state governments take a call on categorising essential and non-essential goods, as localized lockdowns have been imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. Senior government officials said that, right now, the central government’s priority is to ensure supplies to micro containment zones. Deliveries of non-essential items may have to wait until after the second wave peaks. “Our focus is on saving lives right now. It’s for the states to define (what are essential and non-essential goods) in accordance with their requirements. They will take a call for the time being or at least till we hit a peak (number of Covid-19 cases),” a senior government official told Business Standard. The Centre may step when cases start declining, if required, and may look at allowing e-commerce companies to deliver non-essential items. For the time being, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will not step in and leave it on the states to make their rules on delivery, the official explained. To be sure, unlike last year, there isn’t a nationwide lockdown this time around. While Maharashtra was the first state to impose a curfew, several other states, including Delhi, Jharkhand, followed suit and imposed restrictions as cases spiked. However, unlike last year, supply chains have not been disrupted this year and e-commerce logistics have not seen a massive impact.