Industry bodies ask businesses to ensure protection of labourforce

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to the country that the critical medical supplies including oxygen and essential medicines have somewhat boosted people's sentiment, industry watchers said. Modi, in his address to the nation, also said that a full lockdown should be the last resort.</p>
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''While we have been standing with the states forced to resort to lockdown because of worsening pandemic situation, the livelihood concerns are also critical,” Assocham secretary general Deepak Sood said.</p>
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Sood said that the concern for the migrant labourers returning to their native places is also a cause for concern. "It is up to us, the industry to reach out to our workforce and stand by them in the hour of crisis,” he said. The industry chamber said that it would send this appeal to all its 4.5 lakh members. Several industry houses have already started responding to the national call.</p>
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Measures like widening the vaccination coverage by lowering the eligibility age to 18 years, doubling down on ramp up of the drugs and medicine production and most importantly increasing oxygen supplies are important measures for fighting the battle against coronavirus, the chamber said.</p>
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India last year thrashed out a stimulus package of Rs 29.87 lakh crore — equivalent to 15 per cent of the GDP — in a bid to contain the impact of the virus on health and economy.</p>