Covid-19 impact: Worst over, but auto, retail, real estate still ailing

The pandemic and the lockdown have shattered and left three key sectors of the economy — real estate, automobile and retail — facing challenges of a kind not seen in decades. These sectors account for nearly a fourth of India’s GDP. Retail trade, second only to agriculture in terms of contribution to GDP (about 10 per cent), saw business shrink to less than 25 per cent of normal levels.

While business in the otherwise fast-growing modern trade remains below 20 per cent, standalone outlets continue to suffer a 61 per cent loss, according to a report by the Retailers Association