The country is undergoing a 21-day lockdown due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and this has been having a major impact for its economy. But in order to address this challenge, the government has planned to resume some manufacturing units despite the lockdown.
India is planning to restart some of the manufacturing units after April 15 to help out ease some of the economic loss that it has been having over the last many weeks.
Even while the government is presently weighing its decision of extending the lockdown, it is thinking of restarting some major manufacturing units to make up for the loss due to the lockdown.
The 21 day lockdown in India has impacted the lives of its 1.3 billion residents and is going to come to a closure on 14th April.
But there is widespread speculation that the government may end up actually extending the lockdown at least till the end of the month with the number of coronavirus cases rising to more than 8,400 and the death toll reaching 273.
The Centre has been holding talks with the states and has been asking them to come up with viable plans to boots some crucial industries as the livelihoods of the poor are being drastically hit.
The sources suggest that these plans haven’t been identified yet and the discussions are on.
It is likely that some key industries such as manufacturing of autos, textiles, defence, electronics and some other sectors will soon resume. The government is thinking about achieving this though reduced shift timings with lower staff members working at an industrial unit at a specific period of time. This is important to keep in mind to keep up the need for social distancing and ensure the safety of all.
However, it is being highlighted time and again that this can only be allowed with adequate safeguards in place and norms that are strictly followed.
The Home Ministry and the PMO are likely to take a final call on this after a series of recommendations and meetings this week. The sources also suggest that other ministries would also be required to submit plans and help the government in deciding how economic activity can be resumed in other sectors.
India’s economy, has already been growing at the slowest pace over the last six years before the coronavirus pandemic set its foot in the country.There is no doubt that the lockdown has had severe impact on the economy and there is fear that unemployment could be at a peak during this crisis phase.
It will remain to be seen how India plans to revive its key manufacturing units while retaining the need for safety and social distancing as key to fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
