Industrial activities including functioning at the tea gardens in Assam began amid the extended COVID-19 lockdown.
The State on Wednesday announced a slew of relaxations with strict instructions to comply with safety measures to avoid COVID-19.
Assam industries and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told media on Wednesday that a total of 820 industries resumed work, where nearly 28,027 workers are engaged.
Earlier, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed the departments like Agriculture, Industries and Commerce, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, PHE, Water Resources, Transport etc to work as Team Assam to ensure that agriculture and other economic activities are resumed and the food supply chain is maintained properly.
Health and Family Welfare Department has already set up a robust and reliable healthcare infrastructure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic cases in the State and the Department is also motivating the health workers and Corona warriors in this effort.
Patowary said over 66,584 MSME units, which gives four lakh direct employment, and over 20 lakh indirect jobs have also resumed work.
Patowary said an assessment by Tea Board of India estimated about Rs 1,000 crore loss to the tea sector in the country due to the lockdown of which Rs. 600 crore was witnessed in Assam.
The State produces 51.51 per cent of the country’s annual total tea production.
Meanwhile, auction of tea has restarted in Guwahati and all tea warehouses have also been opened.
Industries in Assam contribute 39 per cent to the State GDP and provide direct employment to approximately four lakh people and indirect employment to around 20 lakh people.
Most of the industries were closed down during lockdown period which severely affected the state’s economy.
Assam reported 44 COVID-19 positive cases but 34 have already been discharged after recovery and one died.
Out of the 33 districts, 29 are in ‘Green Zone’ while Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, and Morigaon have been included in the list of ‘Orange Zones’.
The relaxations have not been allowed in the orange zone.
The state industries and commerce department have engaged global business consultancy firm, Ernst & Young, to study and assess the impact of lockdown on the industrial sector in Assam and suggest a policy framework to attract industries who are planning to move out of China.