CII’s Kotak urges firms to voluntarily curtail operations

‘Safeguarding lives is the highest collective national priority’

A day after mooting more stringent restrictions on economic activity to contain the ‘suffering’ from the pandemic, CII president Uday Kotak on Monday urged companies to take ‘voluntary measures’ to break the COVID transmission chain by minimising all activity that requires in-person presence at the work premises for the next two weeks. Auto makers including Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, JCB India and Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India have taken the lead by halting production temporarily or advancing maintenance schedules, to protect their employees, Mr. Kotak pointed out. Similarly, services sector firms such as Kotak Mahindra Bank, TCS and Infosys have adopted a work-from-home system. “The healthcare system and medical personnel are stretched to the limit and exhausted. Measures to break the chain of transmission are of paramount importance to mitigate human tragedy and loss of lives, alongside augmenting health infrastructure and medical supplies,” Mr. Kotak said, asking all ‘responsible’ corporates to strive to protect their employees and ensure “their employee balance sheet” remains healthy.