New Delhi: PM Modi will address the nation at 10 AM on April 14. He is expected to address the ominous question of ‘Lives versus Livelihood’ and strike a balance.
With industry in a state of lockdown and agriculture activity in a state of deep freeze and more than 1,000 persons being found positive in the last 24 hours, all eyes are on the tightrope act that Modi alone can perform with the finesse of a trapeze artist.
He is, of course, expected to extend the lockdown ending at midnight on April 14 by another two weeks or up to the end of April, as suggested by a score of chief ministers in a videoconference on Saturday.
But, since half of the country is still free of infection, expectations are that the PM will also declare relaxations in many areas and allow the non-essential workforce to return to their workplace in areas designated as ‘green,’ which have been free of the lethal disease.
Of course, the ‘return’ will be subject to minimal restrictions with social distancing being the new normal, it is reasoned.
That will be in sync with his ‘mool mantra’ of "Jaan Bhi, Jahan Bhi" -- lives and livelihood. Industry honchos are craving for a massive relief package, especially for small and medium sectors, to bring it out of hibernation; the understanding is that the longer the lockdown continues, the longer it will take the economy to come out of the rut.
By addressing the nation 14 hours before the lockdown ends, PM Modi will give a window to the hapless citizens to prepare for the second round of ‘stay at home’, perceived as the best remedy for averting the killer disease. PM Modi will also have to consider some ways to help the migrant workers and the poor holed up in relief camps.
Opposition chief ministers bluntly told the prime minister on Saturday that they won't be able to feed the migrants any longer, unless the Centre releases funds. Running of these camps has depleted their resources, while their revenues have dipped because of the shutdown of the industries.
As a former RBI chief and an economist of international repute underscored, the government cannot go on printing money to pay the states and the vulnerable. Money is generated by industries that are locked out; that explains the dire need to allow some of them to operate within certain parameters.
If these industries become dependent on government handouts, as demanded by many of them, they would not be able to revive. But giving them freedom to produce, with minimal restrictions, would yield results faster. Maintaining a tenacious hold over the economy does not often help.
