Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the ministers to prepare a ‘business continuity plan’ to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on economy. Modi, who called a meeting of his council of ministers through video conferencing, also asked them to prepare a list of ten major decisions and ten priority areas of focus once the lockdown ends. He also told his colleagues to identify and implement pending reforms in their respective ministries.
Even as the number of positive cases and deaths continue to rise in the country, there have been growing concerns of the lockdown on the economy. Monday's meeting was to ask the ministers to strategize ways to deal with the emergent conditions once the lockdown ends.
One of the key takeaways of the meeting was that the PM insisted that the country needs to lessen its dependence on other nations. He asked all departments to maintain an objective index on how their work will promote Make in India.
Talking about the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the prime minister said that the government must work on war-footing to mitigate the impact, adding that the ministries should prepare a 'business continuity plan'.
“A graded plan to slowly open departments where hotspots are not existing should be made. The crisis offers an opportunity to become self-dependent in the medical sector,” Modi said.
Highlighting the impact on India’s exports, he asked the ministers to submit actionable suggestions on boosting manufacturing and exports and to ensure that new sectors and countries are added in India’s export net. Modi also asked the ministers to popularise the Aarogya Setu app in the rural areas and grass root institutions to further spread information and awareness about the pandemic.
Modi asked the ministers to communicate with the state and district administrations, especially in the districts which are hotspots for the pandemic, to be apprised of the ground situation and also provide solutions to the emerging problems.
As harvest season is a key concern for the authorities, Modi insisted the government provide all possible help to farmers during the the season. In this regard, he suggested harnessing technology and encouraging exploration of innovative solutions like using ‘truck aggregators’ to connect farmers with mandis, on the lines of app based cab services.
The prime minister asked the ministers to monitor the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana by reaching the intended beneficiaries in a seamless manner.
He added that the planning should incorporate the possibility of further spread of the virus. There should be continuous monitoring to maintain timelines of production of essential medicines and protection equipment. Micro level-planning is essential to maintain supply lines and availability of essentials.
The ministers on their part praised the initiative of '9 pm 9 minute' saying that people from all corners of the country participated in it, bringing together the entire populace in the battle against the pandemic.
The ministers also apprised Modi of the efforts to tackle difficulties faced by migrant labourers, prevent misuse of social media to create panic, maintenance of supply lines of essentials, and to address issues faced by frontline workers and efforts.
