NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday set the ball rolling for a limited resumption of economic activity outside Covid-19 containment zones, particularly in industrial zones and rural areas, while prescribing strict workplace norms and permits that businesses need to follow to commence operations from April 20.
Though instructions have been issued under the Disaster Management Act, Union home secretary A K Bhalla’s order to states and Union territories makes it clear that the “additional activities” will be “operationalised” by state and local authorities “based on strict compliance of existing guidelines on lockdown measures”. The extended lockdown is to be reviewed to allow areas where hotspots have been contained or have been prevented from emerging after a week on April 20.
The restarting of MNREGA and the relatively lower degree of curbs in rural areas (largely unaffected or with low incidence of Covid-19) are intended to get the rural economy moving again, said a ministry of home affairs spoke