There’s thanks and no thanks. About one-fourth of the lockdown period is past us by now, and the nation as a whole has girded up its loins to carry forward with a sense of resoluteness. Multitudes are faced with a hard struggle, though this is also the season for the well-heeled to sit back at home and have a well-earned rest to their body and mind. From a world of tearing hurry, the abrupt descent into isolation and inaction is a problem in itself.
For the rest of the population, the large army of the poor engaged in the unorganized sector, the labour force, these are hard times. The migrant labour, millions of them stationed in urban centres like Delhi and elsewhere, are faced with the worst struggle in their lives. No work, no money in hand, and no help coming their way. Their plight is by far the worst in these difficult times.
It is well acknowledged that the lockdown was the only way forward in the present scenario. But, like it happened during the Demonetization of 2018, this time too it came like a bolt from the blue. If the government did not show any sign of an advanced preparation, so was the plight of the ordinary masses too, who work and earn their daily bread. With activities stopped abruptly, their source of sustenance stopped. The desperation on the faces of the large army of migrant youths returning to their homes in far-off rural areas is all too vivid.
The stimulus package announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is nothing great to crow about. An economic package of Rs 1.7lakh crore is too little to face the humanitarian and economic crises that are building up. The US has come up with a $2trillion stimulus package, which would reach out to a much smaller population. A lakh or a crore today is peanuts in the hands of a government. Worse, this does not reach the unorganised sector. Considering the gravity of the emerging situation, more funds need be pumped out of the government exchequer, which should also be of help in an economic revival. World Bank has announced an emerging recession for the global economy. That would only add to India’s present predicament.
While facing the present health and resultant economic crisis with grit and determination, this is time to also look at the future. On the positive side, the Covid scenario looks like it’s under control in India so far; unlike the desperation in the US or Europe.