India eases some virus clamps for the poor

India has announced some easing of lockdown restrictions, beginning April 20, to restart manufacturing and farming activity in rural areas to ease the suffering of millions of poor people.
India's Home ministry issued guidelines today that will also permit construction of roads and buildings in the rural areas. The inter-state transport of goods, essential and non-essential, will be allowed.
The announcement came a day after India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension to the country's three-week lockdown until May 3 to fight the coronavirus epidemic which has, so far, claimed 377, with more than 10,000 positive cases. The lockdown has restricted people to their homes for all but essential trips to places like markets or pharmacies.
Tens of thousands of migrant workers surviving on daily wages have been protesting the government lockdown. More than 60 percent of India's 1.3 billion people live in villages and are largely dependent on farming.
The new guidelines said that coal, mineral and oil production will also be allowed and manufacture of information technology hardware and of essential goods and packaging can resume.-AP