Government of Chhattisgarh’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Chhattisgarh Department of Health and Family Welfare notified the Chhattisgarh Epidemic Disease, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 on March 13, 2020, empowering district collectors to seal geographical areas and ban vehicular movement.
- The central government notified hand sanitisers, surgical masks, and N-95 masks as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, allowing price and supply regulation.
- The state government implemented targeted relief measures, including providing two months of rice in April to Public Distribution System beneficiaries and allocating rice to gram panchayats for individuals without ration cards.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Hand sanitisers, surgical masks, and N-95 masks were notified as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 during the pandemic.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Analyze the role of decentralized state-level disaster regulations and welfare distribution mechanisms, such as the Public Distribution System, in managing public health emergencies in India.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to the measures adopted during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, consider the following statements: 1. The Chhattisgarh Department of Health and Family Welfare notified the Chhattisgarh Epidemic Disease, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020, empowering district collectors to seal geographical areas and ban vehicular movement. 2. Hand sanitisers, surgical masks, and N-95 masks were notified as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act by the central government. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- [A] 1 only
- [B] 2 only
- [C] Both 1 and 2
- [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Both statements are correct based on the provided text. The Chhattisgarh Department of Health and Family Welfare notified the Chhattisgarh Epidemic Disease, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 on March 13, 2020, which empowered district collectors to seal geographical areas and restrict vehicular movement. Additionally, the central government notified hand sanitisers, surgical masks, and N-95 masks as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act to regulate their production, supply, and pricing.
🏛️ 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.