Government extends lockdown norms by a day till tomorrow

Lockdown restrictions have been extended by a day by the state government, through an order issued by chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar on Sunday.

The order directed all heads of departments, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of the districts to “continue to implement the measures presently in force” as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs dated April 14, “till the midnight of 21st April 2020.” The MHA guidelines had earlier allowed the state government to relax lockdown norms post-April 20.

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The order came ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled on Monday, where the Covid-19 lockdown measures will be discussed and how they can be relaxed in parts of the state.

While many urban areas will remain under lockdown till May 3, the government will discuss measures to revive the crisis-hit rural economy in parts of the state, where norms will be relaxed after April 21.

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There are indications that the minimum support price for crops, not procured due to the decline in demand during the lockdown, will be announced by the government. Issues like boosting sowing activities ahead of the monsoon by ensuring logistics for the supply of seeds, pesticides and other essential commodities will be discussed.

Monetisation measures announced by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa recently, such as auctioning 12,000 corner sites by BDA and regularisation of unauthorised buildings - Akrama Sakrama scheme - will be deliberated upon by the Cabinet. A decision on auctioning the 12,000 BDA sites looks likely. Legal measures required to be taken by the state to approach the Supreme Court over the Akrama-Sakrama scheme are expected to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting.