LOCKDOWN - 2

About two weeks into the lockdown things are beginning to look different... The count of infected persons is on the rise in a slow but steady measure, so is the toll of those who could not make it.

But there is also a steady increase of the count of people who are recovering from the affliction.

At the same time, there is a large number of people in this country whose daily livelihood has been taken away and there is no sign of when things can return to normalcy.

Under this scenario here are some thoughts :

·         The Government should kick-start the local economies around the large cities, say within a 100 kilometre range of the city by allowing local / suburban trains to run at about 15 minute intervals, enabling primarily the vendors and daily labour to commute.

·         Trucks / good vehicles should also be allowed to ply within a given district, perhaps, or within the same 100 KM range described above.

·         Highway dhabas should be allowed to re-open to provide for the truckers.

·         Small shops in the cities should be allowed to re-open for limited hours each day or alternate days to reduce the crowd. These include hardware / electrical stores, sweetmeats, barber shops, stationery shops, florists, to name a few.

·         With the main transport system off the roads, people are using bicycles / two-wheelers; the shops to service these – be it repair punctures or regular cleaning / washing, should be allowed to function with limited time frames.

·         Rickshaws should also be allowed to ply.

·         Tea gardens, small and medium factories should also be allowed to function for at least one shift per day. Else the companies will go belly up, and throw more jobless people out on the streets.

·         While telecom companies need to function full-time, their service support centres  can be asked to remain open for limited hours each day – all telecom users still need to buy / change SIM cards, pay bills, change plans and everyone does not have the capability to make on-line payments.

·         This will address to a significant extent, both the livelihood requirements of a large portion of the migrant labour in the cities, as well as the food supply chain demands.

·         Let us not forget that the right to livelihood is so fundamental to our existence that it cannot be questioned.

The above measures can continue for a couple of weeks while we ramp up testing facilities and try to control the spread of the epidemic. Further loosening of controls may be decided thereafter.

Just remember that till less than 200 years ago, India had thriving local economies backed up by international trade that had made her such a rich country for centuries. We can re-start the process all over again.