Hyderabad: As the number of new cases reported in the country crosses the four lakh mark, several sectors stand ruined under the viral impact. As professions, jobs, and businesses fall flat numerous families dependent on them are left to suffer hardships of the worst kind. Several people that were engaged in respectful professions until very recently, had to switch to smaller and poorly paid jobs as they had no alternative left to deal with their pangs of hunger.
The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) had high hopes that the Atma Nirbhar package would be helpful to them. With all those hopes dashed, a third of all the MSMEs in the country are now considering the closure of the unit as the only solution. A report from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy clearly states that the unemployment rate in rural areas has crossed 7.13 percent and in urban areas, it stands at 9.78 percent. The retail business sector, which provides livelihood to five crore people in the country, is reminiscent of a sinking ship. The series of stimulus measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India, with the objective of withstanding the second wave blues, is truly staggering. Having estimated that business may not degenerate too low, the RBI seems to have considered an extension of the loan repayment schedule as a big economic boon to the people.
The MSME sector, which has the potential to provide 12 crore jobs is plagued by problems like scarcity of funds, mounting interest on old loans, and the dues payable by government organizations. The minor industries will survive only if they can overcome these problems.
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Last year’s lockdown had shattered the lives of the one-third labor force in the unorganized sector. Though part of this huge force subsequently managed to settle down in avocations that gave them much less income, a majority of workers are still spending their days with hunger as their companions. The list of such persons is growing longer and longer as cottage industries and petty businesses are collapsing fast.
The Union budget did not accommodate the growing demand to extend employment guarantee schemes to urban areas. In fact, the government of Madhya Pradesh implemented the long-pending proposal of an urban employment guarantee scheme two years ago.
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It is worth recalling here the suggestion made by a study report from Azim Premji University that five crore jobs can be created by providing vocational training to educated youth. It had also suggested a monthly stipend of Rs 13,000 to be paid to each trainee. Implementing an urban employment guarantee scheme in a manner that helps improve basic facilities and bettering of skills among youth will be beneficial to the country in multiple ways.
The government's decision to provide five kilograms of food grains to 80 crore beneficiaries that do not have a proper livelihood is worth lauding. The government should also ensure that the number of real beneficiaries of the scheme does not shrink. In order to douse the fires of people’s hunger and to support their lives, the government action plan should aim to not only control unemployment but also focus on the expansion of job opportunities.
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