Covid-19 Pandemic and Economic Development : Emerging Public Policy Lessons for Indian Punjab

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the pre-Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 situation and public policy measures needed to revive the economy in the light of the recent initiatives by the state government, including a committee to suggest post-Covid-19 revival strategy. This collection of essays by specialized author/s in her/his/their area of research examines the impact of Covid-19 in the larger context of economic and developmental context of Punjab, ranging from basic developmental transformation analysis to the specific policy issues in each sector and policy domain, including the larger developmental crisis in the context of the regional economy and society of Punjab. The sectors analysed include: agriculture including dairy sector and agricultural markets, industry, services, education, health, besides fiscal, banking, diaspora, gender, governance, and sustainability challenges the state economy faces. It dwells on sector specific issues as well as ways forward for betterment of livelihoods of those engaged, especially farmers and industrial and service sector informal workers. Sukhpal Singh is Professor at the Centre for Management in Agriculture, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), India. He is former DG at Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Chandigarh; former Professor and Head at Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, India. He is fellow of the ISAE and founding co-editor, Millennial Asia: an intl. journal of Asian studies. He has been a visiting fellow at the IDS, Chulalongkorn University, University of Manchester, and the Copenhagen Business School. Lakhwinder Singh is former professor and head of the Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala, India. He has founded Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies, Punjabi University. He has remained a visiting research fellow, Seoul National University, South Korea, and a post-doctoral fellow at Yale University, USA. His recent book is Agricultural Innovation Systems in Asia (2020). Kamal Vatta is professor and head of the Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. Prior to this, he has served as a director, Centers for International Projects Trust, New Delhi Preface Contents Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables Covid-19 Pandemic and Sustainability of Punjab Economy 1 Introduction 2 Covid-19 Pandemic and Sustainability of Agriculture 3 Covid-19 Pandemic and Small Scale Industry of Punjab 4 Covid-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Labour 5 Covid-19 Pandemic and Services Sector of Punjab 6 Covid-19 Pandemic, Philanthropy, Migration and Diaspora 7 Covid-19 Pandemic and Governance of Punjab Economy 8 Concluding Remarks References Agricultural Sustainability in Punjab: A Way Forward 1 Introduction 2 Economic Sustainability 3 Environmental Sustainability 4 Social Sustainability 5 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations References Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Punjab Agriculture 1 Introduction 2 Covid-19 and Punjab Agriculture 3 Sampling and Methodology 4 Results of the Survey 4.1 Rabi Season Production/Harvesting Marketing 5 Farmers’ Initiatives 6 Kharif Season 7 Problems Likely to Be Faced During Kharif Season 8 Information Dissemination 9 Water Use 10 Conclusions and Implications Annexure References Need for Innovations in Crop Residue Management in Punjab: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic 1 Introduction 2 Annual Trends of Poor Air Quality Due to Paddy Stubble Burning 3 Why Do Farmers Burn Crop Stubble? 4 Crop Stubble Burning Creates On-Farm and Off-Farm Externality 5 Recent Policy Interventions and Other Measures Taken 6 Other Issues: Gaps in Policy Design, Implementation and Awareness 7 International Experience 8 Way Forward 8.1 Need for Holistic Approaches 8.2 Short-Term Measures 8.3 Medium-Term Measures References Household Gardens: A Promising Approach to Enhance Food Security and Sustainability 1 Introduction 2 Rationale to Promote Household Gardens in Punjab 3 Institutional Support for Household Gardens in Punjab 4 The Policy Initiative 5 Budgetary Requirement 6 Gender Roles 7 Likely Concerns About the Policy 8 Intended Benefits References Reforming Agricultural Markets in Punjab in the Federal Context for Post-COVID-19 Recovery 1 Introduction 2 Understanding Agri Commodity Markets of Punjab 2.1 The Agricultural Market Reform in Punjab 3 Union Level Reforms and Punjab 3.1 Punjab’s APLM Amendments 4 Way Forward and Conclusions References Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dairy Industry in Punjab: Major Concerns and Policy Options 1 Brief Background 2 Dairy Industry and COVID-19 2.1 Decline in Sale and Procurement of Milk 2.2 Increase in Cost of Dairy Production and Logistics 2.3 Rise in Animal Health and Their Productivity Issues 2.4 Impact on Interlinked Credit Transactions 3 Policy Suggestions References Making Punjab’s Urban Informal Sector More Resilient While Securing Livelihoods During Post-COVID-19 Times 1 Introduction 2 Significance of Urban Informal Sector in Punjab’s Economy 2.1 Sectoral Composition of Punjab’s Urban Informal Sector 3 Business Resilience 3.1 Nature of Enterprises: Firm Size 3.2 Growth Constraints: Nature and Magnitude 3.3 Access to Institutional Finance 3.4 Stepping up Business Resilience: Key Considerations 3.5 State as Facilitator 4 Livelihood Security 4.1 Capability Building and Sector-Specific Skill Training 4.2 Contributory Social Security System 5 Summing-Up References Covid-19 and MSMEs in Punjab: Challenges Ahead 1 Road to Revival: Focusing on Priorities? 2 MSME in Punjab: Structure and Nature 3 Roadmap for Revival: Focus on MSMEs 4 MSMEs: Challenges for Learning and Competitiveness9 5 Planning for Learning: A Right Strategy 6 Conclusion References Implementation of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) in Punjab: An Assessment of Performance of Scheduled Commercial Banks 1 Introduction 2 Progress of Scheduled Commercial Banks in implementation of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) in Punjab 3 Spatial Performance of ECLGS in Punjab 4 Evaluation and the Way Forward 5 Conclusions References Employment Participation of Rural Women in Punjab: A Need for Policy Retrospect 1 Introduction 2 Agricultural Development and the Employment Change in Rural Punjab1 3 Female Labour Force Participation in Rural Punjab 4 Lacklustre and Inadequate Response to Pandemic 5 Policy Implications References COVID-19 Pandemic and the Scheduled Caste Workers in Rural Punjab: A Need for Structural Transformation 1 Introduction 1.1 Scheduled Castes in India 1.2 Untouchability in Contemporary India 2 Scheduled Castes in Punjab 2.1 Socio-Economic Status of Scheduled Castes in Punjab 2.2 Inequality in Agrarian Structure of Rural Punjab 3 Pandemic and Scheduled Caste Workers in Rural Punjab 3.1 Return of Migrants 3.2 Diminishing Returns from Agriculture 3.3 Loss of Wages 3.4 Rise in Indebtedness 3.5 Potential Caste-Based Conflicts 3.6 Marginalization of Female SC Workers 3.7 Diminished Accessibility to Health and Education 4 Conclusion References Livelihood of Agricultural Labourers in Punjab: Emerging Policy Issues 1 Changing Structure of Workforce 2 Process of Depeasantisation 3 Transformation of Agricultural Labourers 4 Income Level of Agricultural Labourers 5 Indebtedness of Agricultural Labourers 6 Policy Suggestions References COVID-19 and Health Care Services in Punjab: Consequences and Challenges 1 Introduction 2 History of Infectious Diseases in Punjab: Epidemics to Covid-19 3 Health Profile and Availability of Health Care Facilities 4 Status of Health Manpower 5 Health Expenditure 6 Socialised Medicine and Universal Health Coverage 7 Policy Implications 8 Conclusion References Making ‘Quality Education Accessible’ to All: Policy Perspective on School Education in Punjab 1 Introduction 2 Recent Developments in the School Education Arena 3 Enabling Access: Achievements and Gaps 3.1 Basic School Infrastructure 3.2 Enrolment, Attendance and Progression 4 Challenges of Ensuring Quality Education 4.1 Alarming Learning Levels 4.2 Teachers at the Core of Quality Education Burden of Non-academic Duties Quality Comes with Quantity Teacher Education in Shambles 5 Challenges to Equitable Learning Opportunity: The Blooming Private Sector 5.1 The Magnitude of Private Sector 5.2 Household Expenditure on School Education 5.3 What It Means for the Most Marginalized Sections 5.4 Teacher as the Scapegoat of Private Model of Education 6 Pandemic Shocks to School Education: Learning Crisis, Digital Divide and Social Equity 7 Revamping the Future Discourse of School Education in Punjab: Policy Implication References COVID-19 Pandemic and the Service Sector in Punjab: An Assessment of Impact and Policies for Revival 1 Introduction 2 Service Sector of Punjab Before COVID-19 Period: An Overview 3 Service Sector of Punjab During COVID-19 Period: Preliminary Assessment 3.1 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 3.2 Financial Services, Transport and Real Estate 3.3 Social Security, Health and Education 4 Conclusion and Policies for Revival References Basic Human Needs and Non-state Actors in Punjab: Understanding the Lives of Poor Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic 1 Introduction and Problem Setting 2 Empirical Evidence and Discussion 3 Broad Conclusions and Policy Implications References and Supplementary Bibliography Punjab’s Migration Crisis Under Lockdown and Beyond: Some Suggestion for Public Policy 1 Introduction 2 Key Concerns of Economic Theory of Rural–Urban Migration 3 Working and Living Conditions of Migrants 4 Empirical Evidence on Upward Mobility of Migrants 5 Public Policy for Regulation of Migrant Labour in Normal and Shock Times 6 Conclusion References Diaspora Well-Being and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Reflections on Public Discourses on Impacts in the USA and UK 1 Introduction 2 A Tale of Two Diasporas 2.1 Indian Diaspora in the USA: A Successful Model? 2.2 Indian Diaspora in the UK: Largely a Punjabi and Gujarati Narrative 3 Public Discourses on Disproportionate Impacts 4 Observations and Policy Implications References Governance Structure and Punjab Economy Under and Post-COVID 19 Lockdown 1 Governance Structure and Management of COVID-19 2 Strategy towards Migrant Workers and Punjabi Entrapped Outside 3 Policy Towards Economy 4 Economic Revival Strategy References Punjab’s Post-COVID-19 Economic Policy Under Indian Federalism 1 Introduction 2 Need for New Thinking 3 Ecological Perspective 4 Way Forward for Punjab References Implications of COVID-19 on the Revenue of Punjab Under GST Regime 1 Centrally Sponsored Schemes 2 Fiscal Autonomy of the States 3 Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Model 4 Punjab Has Made Limited Efforts 5 State’s Policies to Refund SGST Are anti- GST 6 GST Subsumed Most of Indirect Taxes of the States 7 Way Forward for Punjab References Public Policy and Governance Reforms for Post-COVID-19 Recovery and Sustainable growth and Development in Punjab 1 Introduction 2 Fiscal Policy and Revival of Punjab Economy 3 Agricultural Revival 4 Industrial and Trade Sectors 5 Education and Health 6 Gender 7 Migrants, Marginalised, and Food Security 8 Ways Forward 8.1 Agricultural Market Reforms 8.2 Role of Collectives 8.3 Institutional and Organisational Aspects 9 Conclusion References Index