IN MIDST OF ADVERSITY

The world has begun financial distancing with China and India is the new investment hotspot. This is natural given how the centrality of China has hurt supply chains during this crisis. This has also been compounded by a general feeling that China aggravated the situation by hiding facts at critical junctures to not hurt own interests. Typically,

land has been one of the biggest impediments for companies

looking to invest in India. It is a great move by GOI to develop a land pool which is double the size of Luxembourg with a total area of 461,589 hectares to lure businesses moving out of China. As investors seek to reduce reliance on China as a manufacturing base in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resultant supply disruption it is need of the hour. We can convert this global pandemic adversity into an opportunity. India should turn into an investment destination and capture the opportunities opening after the POST-COVID scenario. Around 100 countries have benefited from Indian pharma, so it is obvious that many foreign companies will be interested in us. Providing accessible land would solve a major hurdle and attract investors who openly expressed their intent to move away from China. Many companies suffered global supply chain disruptions as the concentration of business in China proved to be harmful when regions locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Already companies looking to decentralise are looking towards India as a stable hub of economic activity with a wide-ranging font of beneficial factors, the most important of which is a vast pool of trained, semi-trained and un-trained labourers. India also has a significant section of middle-income consumers. Our government should now focus on reforms in land, labour

laws, trade regime and tax policies to attract potential investors. A full fledging strategic action plan will benefit the country both in economy and employment.

..... RAVI TEJA, HYDERABAD via email