AIAI fears extension of Lockdown leading to Job Loss and business loss

With 90% of the trade, employment and  business in Metro cities of Mumbai and Pune shut down , extension of lockdown is set to arrest hopes of many, says Mr Vijay Kalantri, President All India Association of Industries.

25 lakh jobs mostly in retail , small and micro units mostly daily wage earners will be left with no means of gainful employment if lockdown continues.

What is the use of EPF withdrawal to such jobbers who might not have had an EPF account at first place  and are daily wagers? Stressed Mr Kalantri.

What the workers need is cash in hand to buy their daily bread?

The lockdown now continuing almost above a month these workers have been out of rations staying in dingy homes with no access to movement ?

Moreover how are businesses going to pay salaries to these workers in absence of transportation and majorly when cumulative losses are set to explode at Rs 1lakh Crore and above. Mainly in case of MSME and midcap in addition to revenue loss for exchequer.

AIAI calls for phased termination of lockdown critical for survival of jobs and business!

Employers can arrange for sanitized personal transport till the start of public transport  to aide reporting of atleast 50% of the jobbers a day and kickstart the business operations. There could also be effective testing over period of fortnight and thus enhance measure taken to stop spread of infections.

This would also mean as a satellite operation for the workers who would be capsuled between home and work with applicable requirement in place.

Social distancing can be made mandatory and run through the entire operations . As the situation demands both resumption of work with applicable precautions on par at work place as at home against infections . Moreover, they would be  in a large space with only 50% workers this will help more in social distancing.

There could be sanitization of offices  as well , thus  assuring the safety of the staff and at the same time breed herd immunity.

Government should consider phased opening  of the lockdown and ease the pressure on the economy or else MSME and Mid cap may not see the light of the day.

We have already retreated 20 years behind in history in terms of growth and capacity utilization with no recourse to operations with total shutdown such as this .

Containment zones can be possibly put on red alert with tight security measures for lockdown.

Over a month long lockdown has still not able to lock upon the arrival of new  cases . There is a daily reporting of cases thus in a way indicating the failure of implementation of this lockdown. Being at home infact with no fruitive activity in hand has led to the public roam freely inspite of being prohibited is the fact of the day .

Controlled commuting to work and occupation in hand with the above precautions will infact prove to be a gamechanger in controlling the COVID19 menace.

Infact this will assist the local healthcare officials to tap on miscreants as there will be a filtering of people from the streets to work places, added Mr. Kalantri.