The Lockdown to Contain the Coronavirus Outbreak Has Disrupted Supply Chains
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JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SINCE 1932 The lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted supply chains. One crucial chain is delivery of information and insight — news and analysis that is fair and accurate and reliably reported from across a nation in quarantine. A voice you can trust amid the clanging of alarm bells. Vajiram & Ravi and The Indian Express are proud to deliver the electronic version of this morning’s edition of The Indian Express to your Inbox. You may follow The Indian Express’s news and analysis through the day on indianexpress.com DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 PATNA &RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM TALKSEcoONnoFORmySECONDheadPACKAGEedforcontraction, lessfiscalspaceforbigstimulus D GDP to shrink 0.4% THEBIGQUESTION E thisyear:Goldman Ridingthe MARKS PLAIN E Sachs,Nomura;IMF ● storm ■Consumer behaviour EX predictsV-shaped post-lockdown ■ Destructionof THE INDIAN economy recovery in 2021-22 demand;job losses, wasalready slowing for salarycuts twoyears when the Covid ■ Fear of infection pandemic hit the world. PVAIDYANATHANIYER ■ Social distancing With the Centrestaringat NEWDELHI,APRIL21 alarge revenue shockdue The Central team at curfew-bound Ramganj in Jaipur on Tuesday. Rohit Jain Paras ■ Risk aversion at Work on Kharar-Mohali flyoverrestarted Tuesday. Jasbir Malhi to the lockdown and firm/individual level AS THE Centreand states jostle India’s sovereign rating ■ Depth of govt over and grapple with strategies justanotch above ‘specu- intervention with forastaggered exit from the gions in itslatestWorld extendedrelaxations forre- lative’grade,the govern- limited fiscal space P7 lockdown, the countryseems — Economic Outlook.Itexpectsthe sumption of economic activities ment has little fiscal room Central teams say forthe firsttime in 40 years — US economytoshrink5.9 per in green zonesand non-hotspots ■ RBI supporton to give alarge stimulus. headedfor an economic contrac- cent and the global economyto —regions wherethereare no monetary andcredit Unlikeothercrises, apan- tion in 2020-21. decelerate3per cent. positive casesand wherecases demic resultsinadeep Bengal not helping; If that happens, it won’t be It’s exactlythree weekssince arelimited,respectively. economic shock,but is unique to India —the IMFex- the newfinancialyear com- With taxrevenues severely NO FALLINRETAIL normallyfollowedbya pectsthe Covid pandemic to se- mencedinIndia, and justaday hit and borrowing costs shooting strong recovery. Maharashtra wants FUEL PRICE PAGE 13 THEEXPRESS verely impact growth across re- since the Centralgovernment CONTINUEDONPAGE2 trains for migrants INTERVIEW Industry says Energy major ‘PANDEMIC WOULD BE CONSIDERED facing Covid Schlumberger RAVIKBHATTACHARYA OPEN:RETAILSHOPS EXTINGUISHED ONLY &ATRIMITRA WHEN IT SUBSIDES penalty threat, withdraws job KOLKATA,APRIL21 OFFANS&BOOKS WORLDWIDE’ VKPAUL FROSTYTIES between the Centre AS SUMMER sets in MEMBER (HEALTH), NITI AAYOG asksCentre for offers to fresh and West Bengal were on full and academic sessions display on Tuesday as the two remain paralysed,the clarification IIT graduates Inter-Ministerial Central Teams Home Ministry issued that landedinthe statetoas- an order on Tuesday June,Julywill PRANAVMUKUL, sesses itshandlingofthe COVID- evening including AANCHALMAGAZINE RITIKACHOPRA 19 situation alleged non-coop- shops selling electric &PRABHARAGHAVAN NEWDELHI,APRIL21 eration by the stategovernment, fans and booksunder test resolve: NEWDELHI,APRIL21 following whichUnion Home the categoryofthose HAMMERED BY the global drop SecretaryAjayBhallashotoff a exempt from the top official in ADAY aftersome industries were in oil demand due to Covidshut- letter to the Chief Secretary, ask- shutdown. In the red allowedtostart functioningwith downs and an oilprice war, a ing him to complywiththe zones, however, the Covid battle conditions, bothsmall andlarge premium recruiter working in Union Home Ministry’s order. opening of theseshops companies in pocketsacross the oilfield services has withdrawn Citing frequentlockdown vi- will be subject to the countryhavesaidthatthe inter- itsjob offers to graduating stu- olations in certainstates, the orders of the local ABANTIKAGHOSH pretation of punitivemeasures dentsacross the Indian Institutes Home Ministryhad on Sunday administration. NEWDELHI,APRIL21 forviolation of safetyprocedures of Technology (IITs). said teams would be sent to the is proving abig deterrent in re- Schlumberger, the world’s Opposition-ruledstatesofWest IN THE firstclear indication from sumption of operations. largest oil-field-services com- Bengal, Maharashtraand regard,” Thackeray said during an asenior government functionary While punitive norms are pany, wrote to the IITsonApril 6 Rajasthan, besides Madhya interaction through video con- of howlongthe road ahead is, Dr fine forunits notfollowing safety thatithad decidedto“reduce Pradesh. ference withthe Central team. VKPaul, Member (Health), NITI and sanitisation procedures, in- and withdraw some internship In Maharashtra, Chief The stategovernment also Aayog,hassaidthatIndia’sresolve dustryrepresentativessay,they Ahealth worker delivers vegetablesinarestricted area in Kolkata, Tuesday. Partha Paul and graduatejob opportunities” MinisterUddhavThackeray re- withdrew the relaxed lockdown in the battleagainstthe novel have raisedred flags over action in abid to adjust to the“sudden iterated his demand forspecial norms forMumbaiand Pune coronavirus will be tested in the beingprescribed by stateand lo- reduction” in “customers trains to take migrant workers thatcame intoeffect on April 20 months of June and July, after cal authorities againstcompa- spend”. backtotheir home states, seek- as the Central team raisedobjec- lockdowncurbshave beeneased. nies and their owners in caseany “Wewill personallycommu- ing revisedguidelines to that ef- tions to some of these, including “De-escalation of lockdown of their workers test positivefor Putting all immigration on hold, tweets nicateour decision to eachstu- fect before the end of April. beginning construction work on is potentiallyanopportunity for COVID-19. dentwho is affected by this deci- “...the workers still want to go existing projects. the virus to resurface and spread, In aset of suggestions sent to Trump; India waits for order, fine print sion,” said the letter by Gautam to theirhomes and theyhave In Rajasthan, Chief Minister and this isbound to happen to an the government Tuesday, the CII Reddy,Managing Director,India takenanaggressive stand on Ashok Gehlot told TheIndian extent,” Dr Paultold The Indian askedit to clarify this, saying units be the cut-offdate. Indiaismon- andBangladesh, Schlumberger. some occasions. If the Union gov- Express that he would consider Express in an interview. “There were beingthreatenedwith up to SHUBHAJITROY itoring the developmentsin Schlumbergeristhe second ernment feels that the number the visitofthe Centralteam a could be newclusters when life three months of shutdown. The NEWDELHI,APRIL21 BUSINESSASUSUAL Washington related to this deci- multinational companytore- of COVID-19cases maygoupbe- “success if theysolvedthe prob- and activities become more Gems and JewelleryExport sion,sourcessaid. voke itsIIT job offers. As firstre- tween April30and May15, then lem facedbystates”, adding that normal.” BY UNNY Promotion Council calledthe IN Amove that haspotential “Inlight of the attackfrom portedbyThe IndianExpress on the Centreshouldconsider he reminded the teams thatthe The spreadofthe virus, he guidelines too“harsh” in arepre- repercussions forIndians living the Invisible Enemy, as well as April 4, Gartner Inc, US-basedre- whether we can utilisethe time statehad “demandedamorato- said, would be “inverselypro- sentation to the Commerce and working in the US, President the needtoprotect the jobs of search andadvisory firm, was we have on our hands to make rium on paymentofstates’ dues portional to our collective com- Ministry. Donald Trumpsaid he will “tem- our GREATAmerican Citizens,I the firsttorescind itsoffer to 11 arrangementsfor special trains to financial institutions under the pliance with the best practices. Similar apprehensionswere porarilysuspend” immigration will be signinganExecutive studentsacross IIT-Delhi, IIT- to transporting the migrant RBI and other Central agencies”. We cannotaffordtofritter away expressedbyanumberofsmall intothe country. With the Ordertotemporarily suspend Kanpur and IIT-Madras. workers to theirnativeplaces. But it wasinBengal that the the lockdown gains made at a units at the Manesar auto hub, COVID-19pandemic settotrig- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Gartner’s withdrawal, com- And the guidelines should be is- twoCentral teams,thatarrived phenomenal economic costand on the outskirts of thenational gereconomic recession, Trump municated on March 30, was sued before end of April in this CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 capital, whichtoo partiallyre- said thestepwould protect jobs EXPLAINED seen as an early warning sign sumedoperations on Monday. forAmerican nationals. across campuses, with IITsfear- Theysaid that even as the district South Blocksources told The WHYU.S.OILBENCHMARK ing manymorecompanies would administration wasencouraging IndianExpress that it remains to FELLBELOWZERO rethink their placement offers. After complaints, ICMR tells states them to restart, authorities be seen what categoryofvisas PAGE 11 HRD MinisterRameshPokhriyal