How Delhi govt is trying to get the economy back on track in Covid times
India's Covid-19 situation has not changed much. The death toll and the number of cases due to Covid-19 are increasing every day. From the experts to the lawmakers and the citizen, now everyone has accepted that the situation will persist till the time a vaccine comes to the market. But having said that, it is also very important to formulate policies which can give a push to the economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has destroyed the employment sector, and the Indian economy is in a deeper crisis.
While the central government has come out with various economic packages, the state governments are also focusing on boosting the economy. The Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has come up with some very significant policy overhauls to combat the state of the poor economy.
Firstly, the Delhi government has come up with Rozgar Bazar, which is an online government portal where job seekers and employers can reach out to each other. Till today, nearly 1,00,000 job vacancies have been registered and around 8 lakh vacancies are still pending. This has been an important step to reach out to the employers who are suffering from a lack of people, and also to the job seekers who are looking for job opportunities. During the pandemic, thousands of people have lost their jobs, many of the migrant labourers have left for their native states, all of which have completely devastated the construction sector.
Significantly, various news reports have observed that many migrant labourers have started coming back to the national capital. While the risk perspective of the matter is up to the government to decide and act upon, it definitely shows that the economic activities are re-starting in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has also formed an expert committee which is looking at various sectors and formulating a policy to boost those sectors. This 12-member expert committee is to explore economic reform measures to help businesses recover from the impact of Covid-19. The committee will do a comprehensive analysis and make suggestions regarding the measures which should be initiated by various departments, autonomous bodies, local bodies, and MCDs to help the people and the businesses in the time of the pandemic. The committee is working to explore reform measures that improve the ease of doing business in Delhi, and shorten the process of economic recovery from the impact of Covid-19. This committee is also studying international best practices that mega-cities and countries around the world are taking to enable economic recovery from Covid-19.
The Delhi government has also found out that during the time of the pandemic, various companies have not paid the required GST to the state. The Delhi government has decided to reach out to all these companies, find out the procedure and if needed, take serious action against these companies.
The Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) has to prepare a detailed study to improve the revenue base in Delhi. During this study, the Delhi government think tank will also suggest short and long-term measures to improve the revenue base of Delhi. The DDC will also consult with leading experts of the field and relevant organisations working in public finance to carry out the study.
The Delhi government is also formulating a start-up policy. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently held a meeting with all the industry representatives to formulate this policy. The Delhi government has decided to conduct the consultations to formulate this new policy in two stages.
In the first stage, the Delhi government will have continuous consultations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and policy experts from various sectors. With inputs from these experts, the government will publish a draft start-up policy.
The goal of all these is to boost the economy of the state. The Delhi government has also ensured that no lockdown will be implemented again in the capital. In fact, when the number of cases was increasing, the Delhi government worked hard to strengthen the health infrastructure with the help of the Central government, but did not bring a lockdown. This has helped the economy of Delhi, but the state economy needs more push, on which the Delhi government is working.
The recovery rate in Delhi has increased and the number of deaths is also reducing. The battle against Covid has two major aspects: the medical; and the one based on policies. These policies include revamping the education model, economy and other aspects of the society.
Once the economy is on track, Delhi will be a step ahead in the battle against Covid-19.
Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Delhi govt acted swiftly, but the battle is far from over