Uncertainty Returns

When Mumbai-based homemaker Van-dana Mathur called her neighbourhood grocer to order essentials such as rice, oil and atta last week, she was told they were out of stock. Though the grocer assured her he would deliver the products at her doorstep by afternoon, Gupta was worried. “I started to wonder whether we were in for another round of lockdown-related supply crunch,” she says. Later in the afternoon, Mathur’s grocer did deliver her order as promised, but also warned her to be prepared for delays since supplies were taking longer than usual ever since Maharashtra announced a lockdown to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.

The second wave of Covid-19 is spreading like wildfire, forcing state governments to impose mini lockdowns. Like last year, retail (barring essentials) has already come to a grinding halt in many parts of the country with malls and high-street stores forced to pull down shutters. Ecommerce majors are allowed to deliver nothing but essentials, while restaurants can only do home deliveries. Construction activities have come to a halt as well. Some of India’s most industrialised states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and NCR, are, in fact, some of the most affected regions, and local lockdowns could have an equally debilitating and disrupting effect on industries. So, is the Indian industry staring at another paralysis ahead?

Skepticism Engulfs

Captains of the industry are careful not to press the panic button right away though. With lock-downs announced only till May