Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Thursday wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all States asking them to book people under relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the IPC for false claims, obstruction, false warning and disobedience, among others. Anyone obstructing the enforcement of the lockdown could face imprisonment of up to two years, Mr. Bhalla said. Under the Disaster Management Act, misappropriation of money or material in a disaster-like situation invites two years of imprisonment with fine. Anyone making a false claim on any matter could also be punished with imprisonment of up to two years with fine and laws, he said. Mr. Bhalla wrote another letter to the States asking them to make proper arrangements for the disbursal of money from banks under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana that will start by April 3.
Coronavirus | States warned against lockdown exemptions
He asked the States to implement the Finance Ministry’s advisory to stagger account holders, maintain social distancing at bank branches and take the assistance of security personnel to maintain law and order at banks.
