The provisions of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005 will not be invoked in the country after March 31 due to the overall improvement in the situation and the preparedness of the government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla informed the States on Tuesday in a letter.
Local authorities and State police can still invoke fines and criminal cases against persons violating COVID-19 norms under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a senior government official said.
The Union Health Ministry said that use of face masks and following hand hygiene will continue to guide COVID-19 management measures.
