The impact of the Covid pandemic on Indian companies has not been uniform across all sectors. In fact, the pandemic had come as a boon to some sectors and a bane to others.
https://countercurrents.org/2022/06/covid-impact-on-indias-industrial-sectors/
Despite some initial blips, companies in the healthcare sector and e-commerce companies have gained the most out of the pandemic period.
On the other hand, companies in hospitality, travel and tourism, aviation, automobile, and real estate sectors have incurred huge losses. While some have more or less recovered, others are yet to reach the pre-pandemic levels of performance.
Pandemic impact on the healthcare industry
The difference between 5 lakhs and 50 lakhs is mind-blowingly huge, especially when the numbers refer to the count of people who died in the pandemic. The WHO says that the pandemic toll in India was around 5 million. The Indian government adamantly insists that the number was no more than one-tenth of the WHO figure.
t the height of the pandemic, the government remained bankrupt even as thousands of unidentified and unclaimed bodies simply floated down the Ganges and other rivers. There was no system to even ascertain whether those who met with unnatural and premature deaths in more than 6 lakh remote villages in India died due to Covid infection. There was no arrangement of testing and hospitalization for the sick villagers was unthinkable. Even those who could get admitted to the private hospitals and afford treatment there could get no bed even if they somehow managed to find transportation. Rural India was haplessly resigned to its fate. There was no governance, and no health infrastructure that could function in a pandemic.
Corporate Hospitals
Market capitalization of five of the top 10 corporate hospitals before and after Covid-19
| Name of the Listed Hospital | Market Capitalization as on | ||
| 21 August 2016 | 21 August 2018 | On 4 May 2022 | |
| Apollo | Rs.19146 Cr | Rs.16,450 Cr | Rs.23,483 Cr |
| Fortis Healthcare Ltd. | Rs.8430 Cr | Rs.7760 | Rs.11,800 Cr. |
| Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd. | Rs.6405 Cr | Rs.4992 Cr | Rs.7,703 Cr |
| Dr.Lal Pathlabs Ltd. | Rs.7799 Cr | Rs.8666 Cr | Rs. |
E-Commerce Industry
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Hospitality Industry
Construction Industry Growth in India
Since it is the second major employment generator in India after agriculture, the macro-economic significance of the construction sector needs no emphasis. If this industry which used to grow at an average rate of nearly 5% in the pre-pandemic years, slumps by nearly 50% that can only be described as massive destruction. Construction activity was disallowed during the lockdowns. The work could not resume after unlocking as a large chunk of migrant workers did not report for work again.
Automobile Industry
Textile and Apparel Industry
Textile sector accounts for 2% of India’s GDP and around 13% of export earnings as per data from the rating agency KPMG. India is the second largest manufacturing hub in the global textile landscape and fourth largest apparel exporter. Indian textile and apparel sector comprises sub-segments like organized sector spinning and weaving mills, garment and hosiery units in the SME sector, and powerlooms and handlooms in the informal sector and so on. All these sectors, put together, account for 45 million workers.
By B Sivaraman
08/06/2022