Uncertainty Returns

Industrialised states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi have been the most affected in the second Covid wave, resulting in large-scale migration of labour and posing a bumpy road ahead for

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The Effect

As of now disruption in production is minimal, but if cases continue to spread like wildfire and a nationwide lockdown is imposed, there could be an inventory shortage across industries

There is already a 15-20 per cent shortage of labour, which is leading to supply chain and distribution delays

The biggest concern is dip in consumption, as people are forced to stay indoors

When Mumbai-based homemaker Vandana Mathur called her neighbourhood grocer to order essentials such as rice, oil and atta last week, she was told they were out of stock. Though the grocer assured her he would deliver the products at her doorstep by afternoon, Gupta was worried. “I started to wonder whether we were in for another round of lockdown-related supply crunch,” she says. Later in the afternoon, Mathur’s grocer did deliver her order as promised, but also warned her to be prepared for delays since supplies were taking longer than usual ever since Maharashtra announced a lockdown to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.