Central Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic (Apr 20-27, 2020)
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Ministry of Home Affairs permitted the opening of all rural shops (except in malls) and standalone or residential urban shops, while maintaining prohibitions on market complexes, containment zones, and the sale of liquor.
- The Reserve Bank of India announced a special liquidity facility for mutual funds worth Rs 50,000 crore and extended interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive benefits for short-term crop loans up to three lakh rupees.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 makes acts of violence against healthcare service personnel cognizable and non-bailable offences, with imprisonment ranging from 3 months to 7 years.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Evaluate the role of emergency legislative measures, such as the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, in safeguarding frontline workers and managing public health crises in India.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to the policy measures undertaken by the Central Government and the Reserve Bank of India during the COVID-19 lockdown period in April 2020, consider the following statements: 1. The Ministry of Home Affairs permitted the opening of all shops in rural areas, including those located inside shopping malls. 2. The Reserve Bank of India announced a special liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 crore exclusively to ease liquidity pressures on mutual funds. 3. The sale of liquor remained strictly prohibited across both rural and urban areas during these relaxations. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- [A] 1 and 2 only
- [B] 2 and 3 only
- [C] 1 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect because while rural shops were permitted to open, shops in shopping malls in rural areas were explicitly excluded from this relaxation. Statement 2 is correct as the RBI announced a special liquidity facility for mutual funds (SLF-MF) worth Rs 50,000 crore to ease liquidity pressures. Statement 3 is correct since the Ministry of Home Affairs order explicitly specified that the sale of liquor continued to be prohibited.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.