Page 14 - NewsLetter Vol 2 Issue May 2020.cdr
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My Trek Experience                                                                                                        Covid-19 and lockdown - Should B-School Students panic:
             ow about a hot cup of tea/coffee/milk high up at around 12,000 ft,                                                       oronavirus has expanded its wings in such a way that   should remain positive and look at how we can utilize this time
             with  the  view  of  sun's  rst  rays  kissing  a  snow-capped  peak?                                                   there is hardly any place in the world untouched by it.   efciently. All the students are at home now and majority of
       HSounds  surreal,  right?  Now,  imagine  lying  down  on  an  open                                                      CNo  disease  in  the  past  has  had  such  far-reaching   the  companies  have  converted  the  internships  into  Work-
       meadow with nothing to see but a sky full of stars -- a lot more than you                                                consequences on the world. There is an atmosphere of terror,   From-Home mode. There are plenty of companies offering
       have ever seen. This was experienced by me on a trek to the mighty                                                       anxiety, and uncertainty all around the globe. Responding at   internships in WFH mode, so those whose SIPs have been
       mountains last winter. You will be able to do a lot more than just that. Far                                             the right time, the Indian Government announced a 21-day   revoked can be placed in these companies.
                                                                                                                                complete lockdown in the country effective till 14th April which
       from  phone  signals  and  closest  to  the  breath-taking  peaks,  you  can                                             has been further extended till May 3. Despite this laudatory   Looking at how we can utilize this time when we are at home,
       experience walking on the snow and hear it crunching under your feet,                                                    precautionary step, the number of positive cases is on the rise   working  in  WFH  mode,  the  rst  thing  that  we  should  be
       breathe the fresh air, have your dinner by a campre and sigh at the most                                                in India. But if we look at the spread of virus in other countries,   thankful  for  is  that  we  are  getting  this  rare  opportunity  to
       beautiful views that you pass by. Stay will be at a wooden hut or basic                                                  one  can  easily  nd  how  effective  lockdown  has  been  in   spend  time  with  our  family  which  every  student  and
       lodge with a dining area or campsites with tents, cozy bed with warm                                                     containing the spread of virus.                           professional crave. So, we should enjoy the time with our

       blankets/sleeping bags. On a trek, this feels like a luxury!                                                             As soon as the government announced the lockdown, the     loved  ones.  Secondly,  owing  to  less  work  pressure  and
                                                                                                                                                                                          working hours exibility, we can work on learning new skills in
                                                                                                                                stock market crashed. It is on the free fall since then, amid   our free time. We can do various useful online courses, live
       All this can be enjoyed after practising regularly, i.e., 5km jog/brisk walk                                             huge future uncertainty. There is hardly any economic activity   projects  and  certications  which  will  add  value  to  our
       which should be completed in 35 - 40 minutes. I have been to two treks so                                                going on in our country.                                  credentials. As, the economic condition has worsened and

       far  and  trust  me  it  is  a  lifetime  experience.  I  repeat  it  is  a  life  time                                  Amid these uncertain times, there is one group of people who   will take time to recover, there is going to be huge competition
       experience.                                                                                                              is quite apprehensive about their career i.e. B-school students   in placements this year. Adding new skills may eventually
                                                                                                                                graduating  in  2021.  Many  companies  have  revoked  the   make  one  stand  out  from  the  crowd  and  sail  through  the
          Sandakphu (January 2018)                - 11,900 ft. altitude                                                         Summer Internship (SIP) offers as the Internship period has   tough  competition.  As  everybody  is  tensed  due  to  future
                                                                                                                                started and the country is in lock-down. Also, no body knows   uncertainty, one should invest some time in pursuing their
          Deoriatal Chandrashila (December 2019)   - 12,100 ft. altitude                                                        how long this lock-down is going to be. Worsening nancial   hobbies too. It can be singing, dancing, painting, reading,
                                                                                                                                position of the companies due to lockdown is also leading to   gardening, exercise, playing musical instruments etc. These
                                     Life lessons learnt:                                                                       this unpleasant eventuality. In this tough time, should the B-  things will keep one happy and positive in this testing time.

                                                                                                                                School students panic, is a question.                     At last, we must understand that pressing the panic button is
                                     Ÿ Understood  the  importance  of
                                                                                                                                First of all, there is no one denying the fact that it is an alarm   in no way going to help us. Everything is going to be normal
                                        small things (which we often don't                                                                                                                again soon. The need of the hour for us is to remain positive
                                                                                                                                bell for the B-school students recently graduated and those
                                        care) like food, water, silence, even                                                   graduating next year. But they must understand that this is an   and focus on learning new things every day.
                                        more. I'm going to be more grateful                                                     unprecedented situation and is in no body's control. Almost
                                        for it and respect these small things                                                   everyone is impacted by this in one way or the other. Yes,                             by Md Mukarram Hussain
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             PGP (2019-21)
                                        even more.                                                                              placements are denitely going to be impacted by this, but we
                                     Ÿ Helping strangers by giving small things makes us donors and people who could carry
                                        more food and water with them till reaching point are treated as richest.
                                                                                                                                Economy and Corona
                                     Ÿ Nature is the best healer. In return, we all should take the utmost care to protect and
                                        safeguard the environment.                                                                   he world is one interconnected market”- boasted people   adopting  specically  focussed  on  “food  security”  and
                                                                                                                                     of how globalisation has turned the places so accessible
                                                                                              by                                Tacross  countries  and  how  interconnected  has  the    providing money in the hands of the poor.
                                                                                          G Nandita                                                                                         1.  For poor and migrant workers - Announcement of
                                                                                                                                economies  become.  With  the  onset  of  COVID-19,  the  fast-  “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Scheme” worth Rs 1.7
                                                                             Assistant Manager (Finance & Accounts)             paced world caught in its daily affairs has suddenly stopped.    lakh crore and aiming at direct transfers of cash benet
                                                                                       IIM Visakhapatnam                        And starts the blame game between countries as to who really   2.  For  doctors  -  Insurance  cover  worth  Rs.  50
                                                                                                                                started  and  led  the  others  on  the  path  of  an  economic   lakh/person  (Doctors,  Nurses  and  other  health
                                                                                                                                downturn.  The  issues  that  went  unrecognised  in  the  good   professionals
                                                                                                                                times are coming to be noticed now. This will surely have a   3.  For poor- Additional 5 kg of rice and wheat apart from
                                                                                                                                ripple effect on the world relations which was already tensed.  the  existing  5  kg  grant  (80  crore  poor  people  will
                                                                                                                                                                                               benet out of it)
                                                                                                                                The countries are contemplating their ties with other countries
                                                                Unravel through chaos                                           and trying to get self-sufcient or moving to get into new trade   4.  For MGNREGA - The wages to be pushed up by Rs.
       The Destination                                                                                                                                                                         2000 per worker
                                                                Telling a true story needs courage,                             relations  with  other  countries.  This  surely  isn't  the  end  of   5.  For poor widows, divyang and senior citizens - Ex-
       You start your journey to reach your goal,                                                                               “Globalization”. Some countries like France have made it clear
                                                                Will Power and Hope clear confusions,                                                                                          gratia amount of Rs.1000 pm for three months
       You take small steps, to move in accord,                                                                                 for the French companies to revamp their supply chains and
                                                                And helps a person to come out of illusions,                    ways of doing business to reduce their dependence on China.   The Government of India also announced the suspension of
       Your zeal encourages you and embarks you to follow your
                                                                Trust on your instinct, Trust in the divine light,              While China is thinking of changing its strategy of shifting from   Member  of  Parliament  Local  Area  Development  Scheme
       instincts,                                                                                                               something more than “low-cost manufacturing for the world”   (MPLADS) as measures to ght the Covid-19 crisis which has
                                                                Your way shall enlighten; your soul shall brighten,
       Your efforts accomplish your every stint,                                                                                towards manufacturing of technologically advanced products.   gained huge amount of criticism for being anti-federal and
                                                                The glory of victory shall blossom your visage,                 There are different predictions as to what this pandemic will   rendering MPs powerless. This suspension of MPLADS will
       The accolades which come your way are sought with much
                                                                Your journey shall nd solace,                                  lead to- global nancial collapse, rise of new super powers,   help the government save a whopping amount of Rs. 8000
       eager and wait,                                                                                                          digitally powered functioning, etc.                       crore in a period of two years. Tracing the spending pattern of
                                                                And You shall have many accolades,
       You fall, you ght, and you face every odd upright,                                                                      One would as what is the impact of Covid-19 on the Indian   MPLADS was mostly in the area of building road, railway
                                                                A day of darkness does not summons for an end,                                                                            facilities,  education,  clean  drinking  water  facilities,  etc.
       You jitter; you deter to craft your path to glitter,                                                                     Economy? The condition of the Indian Economy is rather in a
                                                                A new dawn is ready after every dusk,                                                                                     Suspension of this scheme will make it difcult for the MPs to
       You focus, you plan, you execute, and you run,                                                                           sad state gripped by fear of impossibility of revival from the   even recommend some customised necessity and micro-
                                                                So, stand up with all your might without any dust,              hard blow by the virus crisis. The major segments to suffer are
       You endure, you love, you cherish, and you afrm,                                                                        the  NBFC's,  Small-and-Medium  enterprises,  travel,  aviation   level  interventions  which  is  greatly  needed  currently  to
                                                                Clarify and introspect, do not daunt, do not haste,                                                                       alleviate the distress that the Indians (mostly the poor) are
       You reach a milestone and your journey again begins...                                                                   sectors the bottom of the social pyramid which were mainly
                                                                As you have a purpose, purport on it,                           hired by the private sectors or the unorganised sector. Indians   facing. Moody's Investor Service has also sharply slashed
                                                                As you have a life, live it….!!                                 see  some  form  of  hope  when  the  relief  packages  are   down the projection for India's GDP growth to 2.5% for the
                                                           by                                                                   announced either by the RBI or the Finance Ministry.      year 2020 and stated that severe liquidity constraints in both
                                                  Devoshri Mukherjee                                                                                                                      the banking and non-banking sectors.
                                       Staff (PGP-DGM Ofce), IIM Visakhapatnam                                                 The rst relief package announced by the Finance Minister
                                                                                                                                Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the following measures to be
      14  IIM Visakhapatnam                                                                                                                                                                                       IIM(V)IBES - A quarterly newsletter 15
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