Stricter Safety Rules Better Than Lockdowns, 93% CEOs Say In CII Survey

The CEOs believe partial lockdown measures may impact the movement of labour as well as goods, affecting production significantly

Strict enforcement of Covid safety rules is better than partial lockdowns, which may impact the movement of labour as well as goods, and affect production, most CEOs have said in a survey by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). A poll carried out by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) among 710 CEOs of the country gives an insight into what the industry experts think about the impact of curfew and partial lockdowns on their operations, and how it can be minimised. A vast majority, 75 per cent of the polled CEOs, believes the partial lockdown measures may impact the movement of labour as well as goods, which, in turn, could affect industrial production significantly. The poll also indicates that strict implementation of health and safety norms was a better strategy than lockdowns for industrial operations. A massive 96 per cent of them say the industry is prepared and equipped for the implementation of stricter health and safety protocols, while 93 per cent of participants feel the adherence to safety norms is a far better option than partial lockdowns. Any restriction on the movement of labour during partial lockdowns may affect the production, 60 per cent of the CEOs polled in the survey said. About 56 per cent of the respondents expressed concerns about the loss of production, which may go up to 50 per cent, if there were any restrictions on the facilities that support the movement of goods. According to the CII report, the polled CEOs came from both manufacturing as well as the service sector, with 68 per cent of them belonging to MSMEs.