Will the economy restart on lifting the lockdown?

In a stirring communication to business leaders, Prime Minister Nanrendra Modi advised that in future businesses should be based on adaptability to survive future crises, primacy to caring for the poor, and unity and brotherhood. Sounds like non-governmental organizations (NGOs) than viable businesses. But Modi is hostile to NGOs which have seen a drop of 40% in funding in his first term and 13,000 have lost their licenses. Modi also added that "the country was already witnessing an encouraging surge in digital transactions". Digital transactions soared in 2016 when Modi suddenly imposed demonetization on the nation, but, according to a Reserve Bank (RBI) report, currency in circulation reached Rs 21.10 trillion in March 2019. Cash is the lubricant which runs the informal economy, like in Dharavi, in Mumbai, probably the largest slum in the world. "Dharavi, spread over 240 hectares and housing more than 700,000 people, including large groups of migrants from all over the country, is familiar with disease -- from asthma and malaria to typhoid and syphilis. Residents, however, have never seen anything like covid-19," wrote Smruti Koppikar. It maybe a slum but it has "20,000-25,000 workshops and units across all economic activity" "worth an estimated $1 billion". "This is a throbbing and thriving manufacturing centre, built by large doses of enterprise and risk, with intricate networks of cash and credit, surviving without formal subsidies, protection or handouts from governments -- parts of it running afoul of law, parts of it falling between the legal and illegal if not the latter." Modi believes that informal enterprises are all cheating on taxes and since 90% of our economy is informal, the loss in taxes must astronomical. Instead of demonising the informal economy India should help it to increase productivity, said Michal Rutkowski of the World Bank. The Economic Survey of 2019-20 noted that "manufacturing units have to conform with 6,796 compliance terms, which is a tedious and time consuming task", forcing businesses to remain small and informal. Formal jobs comprise just 9,98% of total employment in India, said the Economic Survey. which means that the informal economy, like Dharavi, is providing livelihoods to over 90% of people. As the economy was slowing down small manufacturing businesses In Coimbatore were closing down. But, even as payments were delayed they were forced to pay GST on the 20th of every month, having to borrow to pay tax. Then the coronavirus hit. On 24 March, Modi placed the nation under a complete lockdown for 21 days. Businesses have been allowed to open but according to a clause in the home ministry guidelines anyone from the chief executive to the worker may be sent to jail if "there is any violation of measures to contain the spread of covid-19". There is a tremendous climate of mistrust in the country and business cannot revive until trust is restored and only Modi can do it, wrote R Jagannathan. Can he? Delhi police have been arresting activists taking advantage of Modi's lockdown, just like the Hong Kong police has been doing to pro-democracy activists. Homilies with a big stick in hand does not breed trust. Without trust, nothing works.