NEW DELHI: Making a clear distinction between areas marked Covid-19 hotspots or containment zones and the rest of the country, the revised lockdown guidelines issued by the home ministry will allow additional activities in the latter beginning April 20, with an aim to revive the rural economy, resume select industrial activity and provide employment opportunities for daily wage earners and labour force.The resumption of these activities will be subject to adherence of social distancing norms at workplaces including mandatory wearing of face covers by all workers, regular sanitisation of common surfaces and staggered work-shifts.The government on Wednesday said the new consolidated guidelines seek to consolidate the gains achieved during the first phase of lockdown ending Tuesday and further slow down the spread of Covid-19 and at the same time provide relief to farmers, labourers and daily wage earners.The new MHA guidelines delineate prohibited activities across the country, activities allowed in containment zones, and select permitted activities allowed from April 20 in the rest of the country.The activities prohibited across the country include travel by air, rail and road; operation of educational and training institutions; industrial and commercial activities (barring exceptions); hospitality services; cinema halls, shopping complexes, theatres, etc., all social, political and other events, and opening of all religious places/ places of worship for members of public, including religious congregations. Sale of liquor, tobacco and gutkha will be strictly prohibited, and spitting in public places shall be punishable with fine.In zones demarcated as containment zones by the states and UT administrations as per guidelines of ministry of health and family welfare, no unchecked inward/outward movement of population would be allowed, except for maintaining essential services, i.e., medical emergencies and law & order duties, and government business continuity.The permitted activities from April 20, 2020 are aimed at ensuring that agricultural and related activities remain fully functional, the rural economy functions with maximum efficiency, employment opportunities are created for daily wage earners and other members of the labour force, select industrial activities are allowed to resume their operations with adequate safeguards and mandatory standard operating protocols (SOPs) and revival of digital economy.All agricultural and related activities including farming operations, marketing through notified mandis, manufacture and sale of farm inputs like fertilisers and seeds, fisheries, animal husbandry and plantations will remain functional during the extended lockdown.Industry operating in rural areas, including food processing industries; construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and industrial projects in rural areas; and works under MNREGA, with priority to irrigation and water conservation works, have all been allowed. These activities will create job opportunities for rural labour, including the migrant labour force, said the government.Manufacturing in SEZs, EoUs, industrial estates & townships will be permitted though the employers must make arrangement for stay or workers within premises or in adjacent buildings. Production units requiring continuous processes, IT hardware manufacturing, coal production, mines, manufacturing units of packaging material, oil refineries, jute industries, construction of roads & brick kilns in rural area can function. E-commerce operations will be allowed, as will IT-enabled services, electrician, plumber, car mechanic etc, from April 20.Construction of roads, buildings and all kind of industrial projects including MSMEs has been allowed in rural limits. Construction of renewable energy projects can be undertaken and works on construction projects continued in municipal limits only with workers available at site.In government offices, the guidelines require 100% attendance of officers at the level of deputy secretary and above, though lower staff can continue to work with 33% attendance.RBI, banks, ATMs, capital and debt markets as notified by SEBI and insurance companies will also remain functional, with a view to provide enough liquidity and credit support to the industrial sectors.Movement of both essential and non-essential cargo, will continue. Private vehicles can ply for emergency services and procuring essential commodities but only one passenger besides the driver will be permitted in a four-wheeler, that too in the backseat. For two wheelers only solo rider is allowed.