Top companies across sectors - automobile maker Maruti Suzuki, consumer electronics giant Samsung to IT giant Infosys - have reopened factories and offices as India took its first steps towards resuming economic activity after weeks under a near-total coronavirus lockdown.
While the government has allowed businesses to resume under strict guidelines, companies are not rushing to achieve pre-COVID-19 run-rates and instead arecalibrating staff strength as they are aware that any incident of infection can prove costly.
Companies said employee safety and workplace hygiene is the prime focus.
While Maruti resumed operations at its Manesar plant in Haryana on Tuesday, Infosys opened offices in some cities with up to 5 per cent staff and plans to gradually raise employee strength to 40 per cent.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has less than 1 per cent of its employees currently in India offices. Mahindra & Mahindra too started operations at its factories with a limited number of workers.
Flipkart, Panasonic India, Whirlpool and Dabur are among a host of companies that have put in place plans to restart operations with a small section of staff.
More From This Section
Tata group-owned jewellery brand Tanishq has announced its plans to reopen its 328 stores across the country in a phased manner.
The government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25, and it has already been extended twice -- first until May 3 and then again until May 17. However, some curbs have been eased beginning April 20 with permission being given to industries in rural areas to restart.
Later, production, sale and transport of goods in areas where virus cases are less severe have also been allowed.
However, the process of restarting factories and businesses is likely to be protracted, with production only gradually ramping up towards operational capacity levels.
IHS Markit said although the limited restart of some industries has been permitted since April 20, India will still suffer severe disruptions to its industrial output due to the protracted lockdown.
"The Indian economy is facing a recession in the 2020-21 financial year for the first time since 1979-80, during the second OPEC oil crisis shock," IHS Markit said.
"Consequently, IHS Markit expects the lockdown measures to result in a contraction of Indian industrial production in the 2020-21 financial year."
Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) president Kamal Nandi said slowly retail operations are opening up in green and orange zones. "Roughly industry's 30-35 per cent outlets are open throughout the country though geographically not equally distributed."