Economic Policy in Covid-19 Times reflects on the immediate impact of Covid-19 on the lives, livelihoods, and policies in Tamil Nadu, one of the states most affected by Covid-19 in the country and records it for posterity. It contributes to the public debate surrounding Covid-19 and its aftermath by suggesting short- to medium-term measures in the state’s post-pandemic socio-economic policy, which could help to mitigate the disastrous effects of the pandemic. The authors have drawn on their long experience to offer a panoramic view of Tamil Nadu economy and society. This volume discusses potential policy reforms in the MSME and agriculture sectors, including the recently repealed Farm Acts, the macroeconomic scenario in the wake of Covid-19, and issues of migrant and informal labour. The authors also analyse environmental markets and Tamil Nadu’s highly successful marine fisheries sector, the Tamil book-publishing industry, the tourism sector, and industrial clusters in the state, and suggest means of revival and opportunities for employment generation. The issue of food security, affordable housing and infrastructure development post–Covid-19, and the role of the state and Panchayati Raj Institutions to aid social development are also examined. Timely and informative, this volume will be of interest to policymakers, think tanks, and academic audiences. Its lucid prose will also attract the informed public, eager to understand the changing socio-economic milieu during these exceptionally trying times. Contents: List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes Preface Publishers’ Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction Economic Policy in Covid-19 Times P. G. Babu Section I—Macroeconomic Scenario 2. Pre– and Post–Covid-19 Macroeconomic Scenarios for India Shesadri Banerjee 3. Employment and Covid-19 Trends and Issues in Tamil Nadu P. G. Babu, Vikas Kumar and Poonam Singh Section II—Agricultural Policy Reforms 4. Reforms in the Agriculture Sector in the Post–Covid-19 Era L. Venkatachalam 5. Irrigation in Tamil Nadu Pre– and Post–Covid-19 Eras K. Sivasubramaniyan 6. Reforms in the Farm Acts Agriculture Markets P. G. Babu, A. Ganesh-Kumar and Chandan Kumar Section III—Environmental Markets and Policy 7. Environmental Reforms in Tamil Nadu after Covid-19 P. Durairasu and L. Venkatachalam 8. Covid-19 and Tamil Nadu’s Marine Fisheries Sector Ajit Menon and Maarten Bavinck Section IV—Trade and Industry 9. Why Assemble in Tamil Nadu? Ideas from Trends in Global Trade C. Veeramani and P. G. Babu 10. Sustaining Industrial Clusters in Tamil Nadu for Employment Generation Some Policy Lessons from Tiruppur M. Vijayabaskar 11. The Tamil Book-Publishing Industry and the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic A Note A. R. Venkatachalapathy 12. Measures to Revive the Tourism Sector in Tamil Nadu after the Covid-19 Pandemic Krishanu Pradhan Section V—Labour 13. Covid-19 and Migration The Experience of Tamil Nadu K. Jafar and A. Kalaiyarasan 14. Protecting Livelihood, Health, and Decency of Work Paid Domestic Workers in the Time of Covid-19 S. Anandhi and E. Deepa Section VI—Infrastructure Development 15. Infrastructure Development Post Covid-19 PPP Contracts and Design Issues P. G. Babu and Chandan Kumar 16. Affordable Housing in Chennai and 227Some Notes on Post-Pandemic Prospects Karen Coelho and A. Srivathsan Section VII—Local Governance and Social Development 17. Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Dealing with the Covid-19 Crisis Kripa Ananthpur 18. Covid-19 Pandemic and Social Protection in Tamil Nadu Need to Strengthen a Life-Cycle Approach Gayathri Balagopal and M. Vijayabaskar 19. Food Security in the Covid-19 Era Umanath Malaiarasan Notes on the Contributors Index About the Author: P. G. Babu is Director, Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai and Professor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai (on leave). Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), founded in 1971 by Malcolm S. Adiseshiah, is a social science institution involved in research, teaching, and training on development issues of India from an interdisciplinary perspective, with a special focus on Tamil Nadu. Since 1977, MIDS is a national institute funded jointly by the Government of India through Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and the Government of Tamil Nadu. The present volume is part of the golden jubilee celebrations (2021–22) of MIDS.