India’s Self-Inflicted Labor Pains

Workers say they aren’t going back to cities where they were suddenly cut loose because of the virus

By: Neeta Lal

As India gradually opens its economy after a three-month lockdown triggered by the spread of the coronavirus, it faces an acute labor shortage caused by the mass exodus of millions of migrant workers from cities to their native villages. That exacerbates an economic crisis that is expected to see a contraction of anywhere from 5 percent to …