SOP FOR SUPPLY OF ESSENTIAL GOODS

March 28, 2020

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for maintaining supply of essential goods through retail and e-commerce platforms.

Salient Features:

The SOP covers suppliers of essential goods, including restaurants supplying cooked food items.
All the States/UTs should let e-commerce remain operational and encourage home delivery of essential goods as the 21-day lockdown was enforced to break the transmission chain of coronavirus.
All facilities in supply of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar or e-commerce companies, should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social-distancing.
Warehouses should not be closed because they also stored non-essential items.
The persons engaged in the supply shall be allowed to commute on the basis of e-pass issued by the local authorities, and the employees shall carry a valid photo identification card.
It asked the States to open 24/7 control rooms to register complaints and grievances.
The facilities engaged in supply of essential goods would carry out regular health and sanitation check-up of employees engaged and provide them proper protective gear.