The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a series of lockdowns since 2020 and lockdown 4.0 has begun in several parts of the country. This is the measure taken by the government to prevent a further rise in the number of Covid affected cases across the country and to keep people safe. With the vaccination camps set and new restrictions created it has become mandatory to get an online e-pass for lockdown, also known as the movement pass.
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It has become a necessity to limit people from roaming outside as the second wave hits hard, hence as a responsible citizen, everyone must abide by the new rules that the government has issued to overcome and fight the pandemic. In this article, we will discuss the requirements, eligibility, and the steps for getting an online e-pass for the Covid-19 curfew. As a responsible citizen, one must know and follow these rules as the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic must be tackled properly.
E-Pass
Every state in the country has created a fresh set of rules and regulations to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus amongst the mass. Major states such as Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh among others have imposed night lockdown in respective states.
Uses
The e-pass or movement pass is the document required by the citizen to travel across the places where restrictions or lockdown has been announced. This is to ensure that only the people with genuine reasons such as health care, basic utility services, etc. can travel and others can be monitored to stay at home.
Eligibility
Only those who meet the eligibility criteria will get the e-pass hence the description of the travel reason must be mentioned and justified. All of these measures channelize the crowd from moving out on streets unnecessarily and if required with proper protection. The e-passes are important especially for the essential commodity service providers as without this they would not be allowed to move out during the night curfew and other restricted times. Those found travelling around containment zones or restricted areas without proper documents would be penalized as this would be considered to be a law-breaking offence. Apart from these two categories, the Union government has ordered to issue e-passes for the stranded and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked each state’s government to frame its guidelines.
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For E-Pass Apply Online
For lockdown or curfew e-pass apply online, irrespective of the state as the central government has issued a common template and the rules so that everyone can easily apply them. The movement pass can be applied online through the central government’s official website developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This is the body that supports government activities on digital platforms concerning IT solutions, such as Digital India. The website- https://serviceonline.gov.in has been developed that can be used to choose the appropriate state of the citizen and fill in a detailed application form stating their details, identity proof, the reason for travelling, schedule, etc. This is a user-friendly portal that has simple steps to apply for an e-pass.
Steps To Apply For E-Pass
Now that we have a clear idea about the importance of e-pass, its use, and the mode from which it can be applied, let us check out the detailed steps to access the official portal and successfully apply for the pass.
- Step 1
Visit the official website developed by the NIC. Click here to do the same. Click on the drop-down menu under the title ‘Select state’. Now choose your respective state. As of now, the major states have been added to the list.
- Step 2
After choosing the ‘State’ you would be directed to the page with the application form in which the required details must be filled. The details required to fill this form are:
- PP (Passport) size photograph
- Aadhaar Card
- Voter ID Card
- Job Proof
- Government-issued ID
- Vehicle Registration Number (RC Book)
- Step 3
Once all the details which are – personal details address details, schedule of travelling, etc. are filled along with a clear statement about the purpose of travelling, one can proceed for the verification through OTP that would be sent to your registered mobile number. Enter the captcha code asked along with the OTP at their respective spaces.
- Step 4
After all the credentials have been filled and verified the form can be submitted. This would now be scrutinized by authorities after a thorough examination mainly to check the eligibility and the validity of the reason behind travelling under such a stressful time.
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Approval
The respective department would reach out to you with a confirmation SMS if your e-pass gets approved. The SMS would contain a link that can be used to download the movement pass. However, one must remember that only if the reason is genuine and related to emergency cases, the pass would be approved otherwise not.
After downloading e-pass
The e-pass must be carried along with the traveler during their journey as otherwise they would be penalized by the officials who check for these documents, during the lockdown. This can be either carried as a hard copy or one can use the Aarogya Sethu App as the details get updated there. Apart from the application for movement pass, the portal also holds information like the Frequently asked questions (FAQs), helpdesk, the total number of applications submitted, etc. Separate links about the criteria to check eligibility and the portal for tracking your application have also been made available.
Conclusion
Online mode has made lives easier as approaching a center or an official regarding the application is not possible under the pandemic situation where social distancing is a must. In this article, we have covered all the important information about e-pass and the steps to apply for an online e-pass for lockdown or curfew period. Hope this was useful for you to reach your destination even during these tough times.
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