Prime minister Narendra Modi told the Parliamentary floor leaders of political parties on Wednesday that people's lives after the coronavirus outbreak was set to change and it won't be any similar to the life enjoyed before the pandemic took a firm grip on the world including India, said a senior leader from the Biju Janta Dal.
In the meeting, PM Modi is also said to have given the first clear hint of an extension of the 21-day national lockdown currently in place beyond April 14.
"PM Modi told us that pre-corona and post-corona life won't be the same," PTI quoted BJD MP Pinaki Misra as saying after the meeting.
Pinaki Misra was one of the several leaders the prime minister interacted with across political parties in a video conference earlier this morning.
Prime Minister's statement comes amidst fears of a global recession taking hold due to the impact of coronavirus on world economies.
Experts have expressed reservation if it was possible for India to achieve even a 5% growth in 2019-2020.
Watch: PM Modi chairs all-party meet via video conferencing on COVID-19 situation
A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that close to 40 crore workers associated with the informal economy or the unorganised sector in India are at the risk of falling deeper into poverty due to the pandemic.
It also says that around 2.7 billion workers are globally suffering due to lockdowns.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva recently said that massive funding of up to $2.5 trillion may be required to help developing nations emerge from the economic setbacks dealt by the disease.
"It is clear that we have entered a recession," she said and feared that it would be worse than the one seen in 2009 during the global financial crisis.
According to IMF, over 80 countries mostly belonging to the low-income category have already sought emergency aid from the organisation.
The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19
In India, governments have announced cut in salaries of public representatives and government staff as money from the public exchequer was being pooled in to shore up resources to meet with various challenges posed by the outbreak.
A recent CMIE data which tracks unemployment on a weekly basis says joblessness has risen from 8.4% in the week ended March 22 to 23%.
Also Read: 'Not possible to lift lockdown on April 14': PM Modi hints at all-party meeting
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