India Coronavirus Dispatch: Many take loans to buy food as incomes dip

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Incomes dip: People in areas like UP’s Sonbhadra district have been skipping meals to compensate for the extreme decline in incomes since the pandemic hit. Many of them are availing loans just to be able to buy food. These families were among those surveyed to find out the impact of lockdowns and the relief, if any, they got from the government’s stimulus package. About 68 per cent of the respondents have reported a fall in their incomes. Economic distress, the report says, has become a reality across states and sectors. Farmers are complaining about low prices and markets being shut,