Page 12 - MMI _ MayJune2021 (single-pages)

IMTMA’S DESK

PINNING HOPES ON
A TURNAROUND

No sooner did India get some much-needed respite from the first wave of the
Covid-19 pandemic, the second wave hit us from nowhere with the threat to undo
the gains we managed in the interim phase. However, the Indian manufacturing
industry, as resilient it is, is taking the economic pinch in the right spirit, conforming
to all norms and waiting it out to emerge all the more successful.

I ndia is in the grip of a Ramping up capacities Regional lockdowns will help in
much stronger second It is important to arrest further breaking the chain of the spread
wave of coronavirus, damages to lives, secure liveli- of the virus and perhaps give
currently. As a nation, we have hoods and keep businesses func- some breathing space for the
been caught unawares with tioning seamlessly. This will be medical fraternity to cope with
new cases and deaths surging realized when India successful- the current situation and pro-
every day in major cities such ly ramps up its hospital facilities vide better healthcare for people.
as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengalu- and increase vaccine capacities Policymakers should utilize the
ru. The new variants are posing to inoculate its entire population regional lockdowns to augment
serious challenges on India’s ex- on a war footing. health infrastructure with ded-
isting healthcare system. How- Lockdowns are not a perma- icated Covid care centres, inclu-
ever, the nation is working to- nent solution for curtailing the sive of ICU beds, installation of
wards mitigating the crisis with spread of Covid-19; they are a oxygen generator plants, oxygen
the aid from various quarters, ‘pause button’ to offer some time supported beds, oxygen concen-
including foreign countries. for the think-tanks to imple- trators and ensure seamless sup-
ment their strategies and scale ply of medicines such as Rem-
up healthcare infrastructure to desivir and personal protective
defeat the spread of the virus. equipment (PPE) and masks to

Source: IMTMA Source: Magic Wand Media

12 | May-June 2021 Modern Manufacturing India