The Meghalaya government on Monday relaxed a number of activities including sale of essential goods, courier services for essential goods, e- commerce operations in essential goods and common service centres during the lockdown period.

The relaxation will be allowed in the entire state except in the state capital and in Mylliem Block of East Khasi Hills District.

Meghalaya chief secretary M. S. Rao said services provided by self-employed persons including electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters and shops for repair of trucks on highways, hardware stores for providing items like CGI Sheets and cement that are used for construction including transportation of the same and electrical shops are also allowed to operate.

Meghalaya has so far reported 12 Covid-19 positive cases of which 11 are still active and one person has died of coronavirus.

According to the chief secretary, all agriculture and allied sectors activities like farming operations including livestock farming, poultry, fishery and hatcheries, collection, processing and distribution of milk and milk products, mandis by APMC, procurement and marketing of agricultural produce, Custom Hiring Centers, cold storage and warehouses are also permitted to begin operations.

Manufacturing, packaging and distribution of agriculture inputs, seed, animal feed and fodder, movement of harvesting and sowing related machines and implements besides operation of Tea industry including plantations with maximum 50 per cent of workforce for production, processing, packaging and marketing are also permitted.

Transportation of all agricultural products subject to transit point and route specified by respective deputy commissioners considering prevailing Covid-19 situation are allowed and veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, sale and supply of medicine and vaccines are allowed to operate, he said.

MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask and priority is to be given to irrigation and water conservation works.

Construction activities such as construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas, outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities and all kinds of projects in industrial estates are allowed including quarrying of chips and aggregates including their transportation.