ABSTRACT
With the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, countries have closed down transport and economic activities to contain its spread. But India's lockdown has been the harshest – with the public spending needed to soften the blow among the smallest in the world. While the government asked all private establishments to pay full salaries to even contractual workers, a small survey in Haryana's automobile-making hub of Manesar found more than two-thirds of workers had gone unpaid. In the early days of the lockdown, economist Reetika Khera proposed 30 ideas, including allocating double the quantity of food rations and providing them free through the public distribution system. The government had made Rs 500 transfers into the bank accounts of women opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana.
