Bad assumptions in a good month

What a month! It’s been an eye-opener to many. The focus shifted from the variant of interest to the variant of concern instead. The Union Health Minister is known to have confirmed that the new “double mutant” variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in 18 states in addition to the three “variants of concern”, first noticed in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. At a time when the country continued to open its vaccination drive and seemed to reverse the tide, the rise of unknowns and the infection rate comes as a big jolt.

In a silver lining, the manufacturers can continue to function at full capacity for now as per the latest guidelines. However, the workforce must be reduced to ensure adequate social distancing on the production floor. To ensure social distancing, manufacturers are free to increase the working shifts at their respective units in line with the approvals of the local authorities. I urge you to not take this resurgence lightly and to ensure appropriate checks and balances to see this period through, successfully, speaking from personal experiences.

Covid-19 aside, the month passed by at a hectic pace. The fifth edition of the ACI Awards - 2021 entered its final leg of racing to the finish. As we humbly declare the winners in this ‘Awards Special’ April issue, I take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support over the last half a decade. The nominations and well-documented supplementary data by most nominees helped us conduct a seamless jury process. In cases, this proved to be the deciding factor for the jurors.

Talk about ending the month on a high with the winners declared and the Ever Given “successfully refloated”! The latter, a sigh of relief for countless businesses including manufacturers spanning from motor spare parts to fork-lift trucks. That’s part of an estimated USD 9.6 billion of trade, each day, freed up! In business parlance, wish you a happy new financial year.

Ashish Bhatia

Executive Editor | a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net

Talk about ending the month on a high with the winners declared and the Ever Given “successfully refloated”!