The total nation-wide lockdown would be lifted sooner or later as India develops the capacity to tackle Corona Virus and many states having either become corona-free or managed to control the virus while some are trying to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 infection. However, it’s time for the government and the society at large to start preparing actively for the post lockdown scenario. As a study has shown Indians are more worried about the economy than COVID-19 and also about the irrational behaviour of people. The economy is surely a big challenge and also an opportunity. However, the sectors of the economy that may flourish and raise our hopes are not clear to anyone at this point in time. The reason being in today’s globalised world, the economies of all countries are interlinked. Given the situation in Europe, North America and many parts of the world that have received major hit in the pandemic, the revival of the global economy will take time. Another fear of the public is that once lockdown is over the prices of essential commodities will be raised artificially by the ubiquitous middlemen, who had not made enough profits in this period. With everyone’s savings being hit and lakhs losing jobs, a sudden rise in prices of food items is a recipe for major social unrest. The fact, the agricultural sector must be freed of the middlemen so that the farmers stand to benefit from the market-linked price rise. Most importantly, the government would have to rethink about the migrant labourers and fix accountability for looking after them and making sure they are not subjected to exploitation. Also, labour shortages are expected to hit the economy further. The government in the meanwhile can set up a task force to assess the changes that need to be made in the areas of economy and other relevant issues.
 | ReplyForward |