[CA] Rangarajan Committee

Tamil Nadu government has constituted a 24-member high-level committee, headed by former RBI governor C Rangarajan, to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different sectors of the economy. Finance Secretary S Krishnan will be the coordinator of the committee, which will submit its report to the government within three months. 

The panel will assess the impact of the lockdown, additional costs and implication due to social distancing, and precautionary measures to be undertaken. The panel will also come up with measures to help the important sectors of the economy overcome the pandemic, while assessing the impact of the crisis on the State government’s fiscal situation.

The panel will identify fiscal issues, and points to be taken up with the Centre for necessary action. In February, Deputy Chief Minister Mr. O Paneerselvam announced that an expert committee would be set up to improve tax to GSDP ratio of the State. Now, taking the pandemic into account, the role of the committee has been redefined. The State government is facing a shortfall of Rs. 10,000 crore due to the lockdown.     

Of the 24 members, 10 are from the government and 14 are field experts.

C. Rangarajan Committee
S. No	Members	Posts
01	Mr. S. Krishnan (Coordinator)	Finance Secretary
02	Mr. N. Narayananan	Former Chief Secretary
03	Mr. P. Duraisamy	Vice – Chancellor, Madras University
04	Mr. N. Kumar	Vice – Chancellor, TN Agricultural University
05	Mr. K. Shanmugam	Director, Madras School of Economics
06	Mr. P. G. Babu	Director, MIDS
07	Mr. A. Vellayan	Former Chairman, Murugappa Groups
08	Mr. N. Srinivasan	Managing Director, Madras Cements
09	Mr. Venu Srinivasan	Chairman, TVS Motors
10	Mrs. Padmaja Chundru	Managing Director, Indian Bank
11	Mr. P. N. Vasudevan	Managing Director, Equitas Bank
12	Mr. M. Govinda Rao	Member, 14th Finance Commission
13	Mr. M. Suresh Babu	Professor, IIT Madras
14	Mr. Pinaki Chakraborty	UNICEF Coordinator

[CA/GK/Polity] Lockdown Vs Sec 144 Vs Curfew

Entire country has been brought to a standstill but different words are being used to describe the situation in different states.

Lockdown:

Ø A lock down can be enforced by a Collector or Chief Medical Officer in their particular area under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. This gives them the power to restrict the assembly of 5 or more people in close quarters.

Ø However, essential services like hospitals, banks, ATMs, grocery stores, milk shops will be open. In some cities, hotels may also be allowed to operate and there are no restrictions on the media

Ø Under a lockdown, the police do not have the power to arrest anyone who is violating the lockdown without the court's permission, They can issue a warning and advise the people to head home.

Section 144:

Ø Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code restricts the congregation of 5 or more people within a particular area.

Ø Under the law, anyone found in violation will be booked for disobeying a public servant under Section 188.

Curfew:

Ø Curfew is when the power is with the Collector and the Police Commissioner.

Ø In addition to Section 144, all essential services are also shut down.

Ø Only administration and police personnel are allowed on the street.