Possibly even more than a public health crisis, Covid-19 is an economic crisis manifested most severely in the labour market. In the face of the pandemic, the structure of the labour market typifies the extreme vulnerability of workers in India.
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The better approach would be to start designing policies which support “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, and invest sufficiently in becoming comparable with China in terms of benefits due to economies of scale.
In a rush to provide for the emergency, maintaining quality is needed. Hence, the effect could be counterproductive.
Lately, India’s trade policy seem to lack a vision. After actively pursuing it for over a decade, India decided against joining RCEP at the eleventh hour.
Unless the government builds in right incentives for its agriculture action plan, things will not work. As has been the case with e-NAM and banana trains.
The build-up to the 2019 elections inter alia has been characterised by competitive claims of formulae and formula to address poverty with rallying cries of surgical strikes, final assaults and “it is achievable”.
A recent Lancet study regards dietary factors to be amongst the biggest risk factors for death and disability in India.