Failed Lockdown and Booming Corona

Airways are opened when the land routes are still blocked. While Centre relaxes lockdown, States tighten their noose on movement of people. Liberal loan is announced, but most micro businesses have closed. Now, who knows what will the bank branches say when small business men approach them for a loan, a part of the celebrated packages?

It is not the Covid19 that has created havoc in India, but our bad preparation to face the pandemic, groundless fear and the consequent wanton misstep of lockdown. We have made a serious mistake of following what the world has been doing instead of approaching it with our own knowledge in tackling an infection. As Covid19 hasn’t slowed down despite preventive cares, lockdown and many other steps, we must learn that India has its own ways and admit that we have failed miserably in our action plans. The failed steps render multiple challenges and adversities. The economy has crumbled and the misery of the already impoverished class has become more severe. Ironically, as the graph of the pandemic continues to steer up, the lockdown is entering a lifting phase. The government has announced relaxation, as if it has won a war and the "soldiers" are returning to their barracks. At the end, everything is made a farce.

In my earlier story, I had mentioned that the virus infection in India wouldn't be a grave concern, if could we approach it with an open mind, as we used to approach other infectious diseases. The lifestyle of Indians naturally ensures better immunity. Moreover, the ratio of youngsters in our population is much higher than the global average. In fact, vast majority of our population belongs to the category of people having better resistance against viral infection. They don’t need to have been locked up inside their houses so tightly to make them waste their time. It is very unfortunate.

Every business suffered the same misfortune, trimming the size of the economy by a substantial margin. Many micro businesses may not reopen. Many offices have retrenched their workers, as their business has contracted or reached a dangerous level of closure. These companies are unable to meet their burden of paying salary to their workers during the lockdown. They are unable to meet their fixed costs. Many factories see their labourers sparse presence due to restrictions. An average factory cannot run without having a team of workers with different tasks coming together. Therefore, the restriction on number of workers is no better than the government order of lockdown.  Many construction work sites have become deserts. Migrant labourers returned home, swearing never to come back. Stock of raw materials and consequent cost of it will only leave a pain on the back of  manufacturing companies. They face an inexplicable distress, thanks to the long-drawn ruthless shutdown, which was avoidable.

Interestingly, on one side, when the Union government talks about phased lifting of the lockdown, it is allowing State government to do some amendments. Of course, on political terms, some States, if they get a chance, would prefer to do only what they like to do to express their dislike of the Central government. Ultimately, people and business pay heavily for the ego-clash. One shifts the blame on the other, as people and business continue to suffer.      

Whether there is a relaxation or not or whether it comes sooner or later, enough damage has already been done on the economy. Poor people suffered the worst and business men face grave uncertainty. Most of the business is not going to open suddenly, because business men are still in fear. Many of the companies engaged in tourism and hospitality services, automobile and all its ancillary businesses, commercial and residential real estate, building material industry and all its manufacturing and supply chains, etc have no hope of turnaround in near future. Some are unable to pay their electricity and water. The utilities may not wait for disconnecting the lines.

One cannot expect any admission of mistake from an ego-centred action by those who acted so. Naturally, the government may not admit the slip-up in its lockdown action. As I write this blog, the total number of Covid19 cases in India has crossed 2.26 lakh with death toll over 6300. Thousands of new cases are reported on daily basis, hundreds are dead. The combination of the bad preparation of lock down and pathetic infection management under government direction has rendered a huge damage on the wealth of the country and, of course, health and wealth of people.

Making one mistake is correctible, but a repetition is not. Repeated errors are offensive in nature. No children ever succeed in their life without doing exercise and home works. The lockdown has been the result of zero homework.

Interestingly, the government has announced a big package for micro small and medium industries (MSMEs). Most of them are still in lockdown. Before the complete lifting of lockdown, they will be unable to ascertain the damage they incurred. Some of them may close their business for ever. For them, an attractive loan is equivalent of a gesture of feeding dead people with gold biscuits.    

Let the government not forget, there are lakhs of small business units, which never get any type of government incentives, but contribute significantly to the coffers of the government. If they approach a bank, the bank will deny even their entry into the branch. Yet they have survived all miseries. Now they are dying, which will culminate into an unmanageable socio-economic crisis. Media men never write about this crisis in their crazy worship of money. In bad times of business community, they praise the government. When businesses improve, they write bad about government. They dilly-dally between the government and business. They are too good in keeping dead silence on truth and realities.

Ultimately, it is the prudence that gives desirable results, be it the action of government and law makers or any one. We have already seen, government action of lockdown has brought in bigger tragedy than the pandemic in India. Consistent failure and foul plans like opening the sky for travelling only deepen the crisis. We have opened our airways, but not the land and doors of businesses.  I often wonder, don’t our law makers have simple common sense! Don’t they have any sense about what is priority and what is not priority?