Coronavirus | ‘Amid rise in cases, lives, livelihoods at risk again’

There was a possibility of a “COVID-induced macro lockdown,” but it had not been imposed yet due to the ongoing State Assembly elections, K.R. Shyam Sundar says.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, “lives and livelihoods are at risk once again,” XLRI Jamshedpur professor K.R. Shyam Sundar said on Thursday.

Speaking during a virtual discussion on his book ‘Essays on COVID-19, Labour Market Reforms and the World of Work in India’, Prof. Sundar said there was a possibility of a “COVID-induced macro lockdown,” but it had not been imposed yet due to the ongoing State Assembly elections.

Prof. Sundar said that with the rise in cases, there was a “second phase” of migrant workers returning to their home States and towns.

“Lives and livelihoods are at risk once again … What the government should come out with is strong sensible policy measures drafted through a mechanism of social and political dialogue,” he said.

He said the pandemic highlighted the need for direct benefits to workers, urban employment guarantee scheme and the strengthening of the MGNREGA.