Don’t fall for False Choices

Context – Azim Premji has given suggestions to revive the economy keeping both lives and livelihood on a priority basis.

False Choices

• Workers Vs businesses: Diluting labour laws will exacerbate the conditions of low wage-earners. The interests of workers and businesses are deeply aligned

• Livelihood vs lives binary: Pandemic must be dealt with on the healthcare front comprehensively, while the people and the economy must be supported equally

Steps to be taken 

• Employment

• Rural -Additional allocation of 1 lakh crore to MGNREGA with increasing the guaranteed number of days and timely payment.
• Urban - Urban employment guarantee scheme focusing on urban MSME.
• This will create productive assets and infrastructure.
• Health - Sustained investment in public health making responsive national health system.
• Agriculture - promote sustainable farming initiative, stronger procurement system for grains at remunerative prices, expansion of local storage and value addition for perishable crops.
• Food security – universalise and double PDS ration for 3-6 months, distribute it free through doorstep delivery. 
• Income - Emergency relief of 7000 rupees a month for 3 months without biometric authentication. Minimum wages for 25 days a month should be released to all poor urban residents
• Migrant Labours should be provided full autonomy to travel to their hometown free of cost.

Way Forward

The size and nature of measures that must be taken, needs to be truly ambitious for the economy, and its people, to recover.