Was it the manner in which it was implemented? Or, does the government have a hidden agenda that farmers have detected? We held a substantive symposium on the farm laws to explore these questions.

It does seem puzzling that it has enraged farmers and driven them to launch these protests. The government rushed through three parliamentary acts with little consultation, presumably designed to benefit farmers by expanding their trading opportunities. Let me indicate examples of analysis posted on I4I on each of the major issues outlined above: pre-Covid economy, dealing with the pandemic, impact of Covid on the economy, impact on vulnerable populations and small businesses, monetary and fiscal policy, Center-state finances, government responses to the crisis, financial sector, and social and environmental aspects.ДЄt present, all eyes are on the massive farmersвЂ™ protests. Over the eight years of its existence, I4I has become the go-to source for accessible summaries of policy-relevant, economic research on India: this has been true over the past few months as well, as evidence began to emerge on different aspects of the impact of the pandemic. Sometimes it took the form of a symposium so that the readers would be exposed to a variety of views on the policy recommendations and the rationale behind them. I4I provided a forum for a spectrum of ideas among experts вЂ“ academic researchers, policy practitioners, as well as those with first-hand experience of the grassroots-level reality. There was a dire need to initiate a wide-ranging conversation on each of the policy issues pertaining to these problems. The problems were unprecedented: the growth slowdown in the wake of demonetisation, banking crisis and GST implementation the invasion of a fast-spreading novel virus the draconian lockdown and the economic collapse caused by it. This year, more than ever before, the importance of our avowed mission was brought home to us. вЂIdeas for IndiaвЂ™ (I4I) was created with a mission to enhance the quality of public debate on issues pertaining to economic growth and development.

In the first quarter of this year, the GDP (gross domestic product) shrank by 24%. But the government tried to play it safe. Should the Finance Minister not worry about deficits and send cash transfers to the poor and to small businesses so that they could survive the lockdown? Inadequate financial support would mean incalculable suffering among the poor but also a collapse of demand in the economy and a major recession. There was no consensus on what policy measures the government should take. Unlike in most of the developed world, there were few resources transferred to the poor who had become poorer. The draconian lockdown resulted in the loss of livelihoods for millions. Daily-wage workers with no social safety net could not survive in the cities without work and, with shutdown of transport, had no choice but to head to their faraway villages on foot. The government imposed a stringent, nationwide lockdown with a four-hour notice that triggered a long march of migrant workers, causing enormous harm to them as well as the families that they supported back home. The pandemic struck us when we seemed to have little policy space to manoeuvre. The formal economy was not creating enough jobs to absorb the excess workers in the informal economy, creating an explosive situation across the land. Even before the pandemic struck, the country was reeling under a growth slowdown that had stymied policymakers. For India, it has been particularly traumatic. The world has rarely experienced such a momentous year. As we near the end of 2020, Editor-in-chief Ashok Kotwal reflects on the unprecedented and momentous year that was, and presents key highlights from I4I.

Draconian lockdown meaning