Amid lockdown, Nagaland government on Thursday permitted the industries in rural areas and which are outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities to resume their activities with immediate effect.
In an order, chief secretary Temjen Toy said the food processing industries, stone crushers, sawmills, and brick kilns in rural areas have been permitted to function.
The 21-day nationwide lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 24 midnight as a preventive measure to contain the spread of COVID19, has been extended up to May 3, 2020.
Collection, harvesting, and processing of minor forest produce and non-timber forest produce by the Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers in forest areas are also allowed.
The order said bamboo, coconut, areca nut, cocoa, spices plantation, and their harvesting, processing, packaging, sale, and marketing can be resumed.
It said the permitted construction activities in rural areas include water supply and sanitation, laying and erection of power transmission lines and laying of telecom optical fiber and cable along with related activities
Functioning of research establishments dealing with agriculture and horticulture activities, inter and intra-state movement of planting materials, honeybee colonies, honey, and other beehive products also come under the permitted activities.
Shops of educational books for students and shops for electric fans, recharge facilities for prepaid mobile connections have also been permitted to function.
The functioning of food processing units such as bread factories, milk processing plants, flour mills and dal mills located in urban areas have also been allowed to resume their activities, the order said.
However, social distancing, as specified in lockdown measures, national COVID19 directives and standard operating procedure, for offices, workshops, factories, establishments, and farms must be ensured, the order added.