An Appeal To The Honourable Prime Minister

Namaste Modiji,

Firstly, kudos to you for the tough decisions you make during these unprecedented times. It is indeed heartening to see the country in safe hands at a time when panic is the order of the day.

This may not be the right time to ask what the country is doing for us, however the situation leaves us with no choice. The first week of the month is here, and all of us who are small entrepreneurs, employers and salary payers are in no position to avoid this question any more. 

We have paid our dues to our people, our employees for now. We are ensuring all our migrant labour is fed and supplies are reaching them.

Beyond a month, many in the manufacturing sector do not have a contingency plan, especially if we have made investments to expand. The manufacturing sector cannot “Work from Home”, and if we have no goods to sell and no revenue for the next 2 months, how will we sustain?

Now the labour department and local governments have started giving veiled warnings that we must pay every one of our employees next month as well else we will be imprisoned. We want to and we are the ones who lose the most if our people quit, but we have no means to pay them.

All the armchair economists of our country tell us that we will survive, jaan hai to jahaan hai. Entrepreneurs will die not of COVID but of stress of losing business and then being bullied into mortgaging everything they have to avoid prison.

Is this the treatment to be meted out to the wealth creators and job providers in this country?

1.    Simple thing like PF, a retirement fund, can we not stop that for 3 months. The government does not need to pay it. It does not then affect the exchequer nor the businesses. Does it take the FM so long to announce a simple measure like that which will give additional money, to the employees as well the employer. Is it really necessary to pay into a employee retirement benefit when our tomorrow is uncertain?

2.    We have been paying hefty ESI for years, why is that not being used at times like these to pay wages? Is this not a health contingency?

This month we have shelled out additional 25% wages for EPF, 8% additional for ESI between the employee and employer. Is it fair to thrust this burden on us at times like this?

3.    The banks are not giving us additional liquidity (they only do that for large business houses) saying it is not a mandate.

4.    The government is sitting on lakhs of our tax credits which we desperately need. We are not even being returned our own money, let alone support from the government which every other country (even Bangladesh!) in the world is providing.

Why are we not taking small baby steps and measures every day to ensure the mood is positive and MSMEs also have something to look forward to.

Now there are rumours that the lockdown will be extended. We are also happy to have our staff and us stay at home safe. But who is going to pay the price for that?

We have a great opportunity ahead of us after this crisis is past for Make In India to be a reality with anti-China sentiment being the mood of this year. We only need to tide over the next couple of months.

Personally, having run a business for 20 years with a 60% women workforce and supported over 1000 families, this is a storm I am afraid I cannot weather without immediate support. My employees are my responsibility and it is for that reason I ask what my government can do for me, so that I in turn can do for my employees and their families.

We already have our share of worries, and a tough fight ahead. We are up to the challenge. We want the government on our side fighting with us, not against us.

Kya aap hamare saath hain jaise hum aapke saath hain ?

Kya hum aapse koi umeed kar sakte hain?

Jai Hind!