Need overarching relief plan for industries, migrant labour: G R Gopinath

BENGALURU: Aviation industry veteran G R Gopinath on Saturday asked the government to come out with an overarching relief plan, to help industries facing huge stress and the migrant labour in the wake of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The aviation sector definitely is affected very badly with high value assets grounded and the sector is integral to the economy, the founder of Air Deccan, who has been credited with making the dream of flying affordable a reality, told PTI.

"But I dont wish to speak of it alone though I'm from that industry. That will be unfair. There are many industries under huge stress not just aviation like Trucking, Hotel for example.

And MSMEs and self employed. But more important the migrant labour. We all saw the horrific images of their exodus," he said.

"The government must come with a overarching relief plan. Greater the severity of lock down bigger the package as percentage of GDP. US has allocated 12 per cent of its GDP, France close to 15 per cent. India is less than 1 per cent," he said.

Expressing his wish to send a larger message, Gopinath, a retired Captain of Indian Army, said the pandemic to him is God's or nature's response to petty little human beings full of themselves.

"And the message is - The Virus kills everyone indiscriminately - good Hindus and fanatic Hindus, good Muslims and jihadi Muslims, good Christians and the bigoted Christians and terrorists of all religions and of all ideological hues and shades," he said.

"You are 'One' race of humans. So grow up. And realise that humans are part of the larger planet and not above other life forms.

Humans are part of a complex bigger web with symbiotic relationships with everything else on earth and cannot be arrogant and consider themselves outside the ecosystem," Gopinath said.

Humans are not apart from the rest of other life forms and resources like air, water and soil, which have all evolved together over the millennia, he pointed out.

"That's what the Upanishads say too. You are One with the ultimate Reality. YOU are That. So stop destroying the planet because the consequences of such destruction will have an adverse effect difficult to predict through floods, climate change and pandemics when you disturb the equilibrium of the planet. Time to come together in solidarity," Gopinath said.