Letter to BS: The economic costs of the lockdown need to be considered
The Prime Minister needs to take a considered call on this
 "coronavirus, lockdown, ration, food, poor, workers, essential goods, commodities")
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People in certain pockets of UP thronged shops to stock up on food items on Wednesday. As people rushed to the shops, the administration cautioned the public against panic buying and assured home delivery of essentials. Photo: PTi
This refers to the editorial “End lockdown or not?” by Shankar Acharya (April 9), in which he has cautioned that extending the nationwide lockdown could well lead to more deaths. This fear should not be dismissed as being alarmist. There are also suggestions for the release of excess stocks of the Food Corporation of India to the states for free distribution (or at nominal price) amongst the poor, as the emergency cash transfer has several limitations. With the International Labor Organisation predicting that about 400 million Indians face the risk of being pushed into poverty because of the stringent nationwide lockdown, one hopes that while deciding on the lockdown beyond April 14, this unintended collateral damage would be factored in. The huge economic costs of the lockdown affecting the economy, already in a downswing, need to be considered. The Prime Minister needs to take a considered call on this.
Topics : Coronavirus Lockdown Letter to BS PM Narendra Modi