Lockdown: Guj govt allows fishing, allied activities from Sat

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 () Amid the lockdown for thenovel coronavirus outbreak, the Gujarat government on Saturdayallowed fishing and allied activities of processing,packaging, maintenance of cold chains and transportation, inthe process bringing relief to those employed in the sector, asenior official said.

From Saturday, fishermen can go out in the ArabianSea, said Ashwani Kumar, secretary to the chief minister.

"Related activities of processing, packaging,maintenanceof cold chains, and transportation of fish andprawns have also been allowed from today," he said.

"The state government has also decided to extend thebenefit of Rs 1000 ex-gratia payment to widow pensioners, thatis Rs 500 each in the months of April and May, as reliefduring the lockdown to non-BPL beneficiaries," he added.

The Gujarat government will pay Rs 35 crore to around3.46 lakh such beneficiaries, and the Centre will contributeRs 9.74 crore to give Rs Rs 1000 each to 97,474 widows fromthe BPL category, Kumar said.

Kumar also informed that seven people were arrestedunder the Prevention of Black Marketing Act for diverting foodgrains meant for distribution among the poor in Prantij inSabarkantha district.

He said around 3.10 lakh passes have been issued formovement of essential commodities. KA PDBNM BNM