New Delhi, Jan 4 (FN Agency) Noting that Delhi-NCR should be treated as a single economic unit, the MSME sector industry body has called for simultaneous actions by concerned state governments. National Capital Region or NCR is a metropolitan area covering Delhi and parts of neighbouring Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) President Animesh Saxena told UNI that authorities across these states should work in tandem and issue clear-cut guidelines to ensure that small units are least impacted by lock down-like measures which may be imposed for containing the spread of Omicron. “What happens that state governments sometimes behave without any logic. They go by the whims and fancies of their leader. For instance, imposing night curfew would unlikely help while daytime overcrowding needs to be tackled. Omicron does not strike only during night,” Saxena said. “NCR is one economic unit. So all the action should be simultaneous.
We wish that government and bureaucracy think logically. Any instruction coming should have very clear guidelines. All authorities should work in tandem,” he added. The FISME boss said that Omicron has dampened the spirit of industry just when it appeared that businesses would be normal. “We were thinking that very soon when we finish balance sheet we would be in better position and hoped that at least top line would reach the pre-Covid level. But with this Omicron and lock down looking imminent have created a lot of fear,” Saxena said. On the impact of new pandemic wave on MSME sector especially exporters, he said that there is no impact as of now except that buyers are sending advisory for delivering shipments as early as possible. With Covid infections spreading rapidly, the state government are imposing fresh restrictions. The Delhi government has decided to impose a weekend curfew besides asking government employees engaged in non-essential services to work from home. Night curfew barring movement of people between 10PM and 5AM has already been in place in the national capital. FISME’s Saxena said that now supply chain is spread across the state borders and hence unitary decision by one state could affect freight movement disrupting production in another state.