The gateway of heaven and hell will be opened at the same time after the lockdown. Heaven because of the natural settings of India have got rejuvenated in these three weeks of lockdown. Pollution has come down heavily, birds, animals are roaming freely, water waves are coolly touching the sands without noise of the crowd. A research by IIT Varanasi confirms 50% of the holy river Ganga waters are clear now. Air quality in different metropolitan cities and towns has improved considerably. Ludhiana, the industrial capital of Punjab which is hundreds of kilometers far away from The Himalayas, can see the mighty mountains visibly. Hell because of the poor and working class have lost their income which is impacting their livelihood.
Farm laborers and factory workers who have gone back to their hometowns will take time to return for their work. For few weeks there will a big labor shortage in places which are dependent on migrant laborers. Lasagaon in Maharashtra which has Asia’s biggest onion mandi is already facing a huge labor shortage. The loading and unloading of onions are majorly done by migrant laborers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Those laborers who went back to their homes will find it difficult to return.Trains will be overcrowded and the laborers will find it to tough to travel back to their original workplace. Some of them may not return back because of the shock they underwent during the lockdown. Lakhs of laborers have walked thousands of kilometers to their homes without food in the harsh heat. This horrible experience will linger long in the laborers memory.
Agriculture which contributes 16% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in India will face severe stress for few weeks in the post lockdown period. With better monsoon this year, there is a bumper crop. But the Corona Virus has hit the Indian agricultural sector badly like other sectors. Farmers are not able to harvest their bumper crops and transport it to mandis. Those who are coming to buy directly are asking rock bottom prices. Government should clear this mess by ordering direct procurement from farmers. District collectors ought to keep stock of agricultural produces through their agricultural departments. They can help farmers to clear the stock and get better prices.
Most of the students are enjoying the lockdown as their holidays. Despite several requests and instructions from teachers, they are not studying at home. Response to the online classes and assignments are poor. Teachers will find it difficult to bring back students to learning mindset and students will take long time to recover their lockdown joy. Postponed final exams, entrance exams, campus placements and jumbled academic schedules are not easy to sort out. With a big hit on the economy, campus placements will be difficult and salaries will be slashed down.
Business houses will find it complex to recover in the post lockdown phase. According to the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) snap poll of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in India conducted in the first week of April 2020, 52% fear that there will be a severe job losses. They think that there will be a 10% dip in their revenues and 5% fall in their profits. With the already affected business sector in India, Corona Virus lockdown is a body blow.
Government, industrial bodies, business houses, farming community, medical fraternity, transporters, bankers, insurance sector, educational institutions and all others will have tough time to smoothen the post lockdown period. Without wasting time, all must prepare a proper plan to handle the situations from 15 April 2020.
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