Covid-19 woes: Exodus of skilled migrant labourers badly hits MSMEs in Pune

Many of the workers had taken payments of March and April and still they had left for their homes

As Covid-19 lockdown triggered the mass exodus of migrant labourers, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Pune have suffered badly, the owners of these businesses claimed.

"There are 11,000 MSMEs in Pimpri Chinchwad. Before the lockdown, there were 450,000 workers employed here. Out of these 450,000 workers, 300,000 workers were from outside the state and the city. On the basis of reliable estimates, around 200,000 to 250,000 workers have migrated back to their villages," Sandeep Belsare, Owner of Shree Engineering company and president of Pimpri-Chinchwad Small Industries Association told ANI.

"Many of the workers had taken payments of March and April