From the beginning of 2020 onward, the Government of India was faced with an unprecedented challenge to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and manage the health crisis that was rapidly growing. By the time lockdown was imposed on 24 March 2020, the number of cases of positive Covid-19 patients was steadily rising, within India’s the borders. In order to curb the rapid growth of the disease and prevent community spread, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, published the official notification and invoked lockdown under relevant provisions of the law. This gave overarching powers to the government to enforce stringent lockdown measures, suspend all transport services, and the closing of government offices, commercial and industrial establishments. Exceptions were specially crafted for services, like police and emergency services, essential services like electricity, water and sanitation, postal, banking and insurance services, manufacture, sale and transportation of essential goods such as food, medicines, telecommunication and internet services including print and electronic media.
The paper examines the Government of India (GoI) responses during Covid-19. It identifies the legal basis of the measures adopted by the government to contain the pandemic and highlights the steps taken up by the executive to deal with crisis.