Best of BS opinion: Covid-19 pandemic, jobs, sustainable growth, and more

The second round of serological survey shows that about a third of Delhi’s population has been exposed to Covid-19. However, this means that the city-state is still far from reaching the stage of herd immunity. Meanwhile, the continued surge in cases would make economic recovery more difficult. Business Standard opinion pieces for the day, among other things, talk about the state of the Indian job market.

While it is comforting that the agriculture sector is doing well, it should not cloud the overall policy objective. India will have to create more jobs in the manufacturing and services sectors to attain higher sustainable growth. There is no alternative, notes our lead editorial

If the taxmen want more data, then they must explain why, and what they will do with it, and where and how long they will keep it, argues our second editorial

It is obvious the government has no idea of how to handle the Covid pandemic. Its draconian lockdown has scattered labour and with the shutdown of the railways it is not easy for them to return, writes Aakar Patel

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“The outlook for the domestic economy remains extremely uncertain as the impact of Covid-19 is more severe than initial assessments and the global economy remains vulnerable to renewed surge in community infections and fears of a second wave.”

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das (Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee Meeting August 4 to 6, 2020)