Promote e-commerce and home-delivery: Sharad Pawar to PM Modi

A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold meeting with chief minister, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday stressed on the need to encourage business via e-commerce and home-delivery.

"Conventional shops and stores will be at a disadvantage in view of various restrictions and social distancing norms which may acquire permanence," Pawar said in a letter to Modi on Sunday.

According to Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and ex-Union minister, e-commerce and home-delivery would create jobs.

The veteran politician said that COVID-19 pandemic has hit urban areas and urban economy hardest - with aviation, transport, tourism, brick and mortar retail, entertainment, media and wellness industry unlikely to ever regain their financial health.

“All businesses unable to handle ‘social distancing’ will suffer heavily. Sizeable numbers of businesses are not likely to survive and many will lose jobs. They will need to be reskilled for alternate employment and alternative businesses will have to be actively promoted,” Pawar said.

Pawar pointed out that there are opportunities that lie in the field of tele-medicine, which is still in its infancy, but out of necessity remote visits will become more popular.

While theaters and malls will continue to suffer, online entertainment platforms will expand and become more profitable, and similarly gyms will suffer but online workout sessions will be in great demand, though it will be difficult for beauty parlours and spas to survive.

“Consequently, the household demand for health, wellness and beauty products will see a major spike. Parallelly, the commercial demand for such products may nosedive,” said Pawar.