Kulmani Gupta Highlights Workforce Disparities Between NSEZ and Other SMEs in Noida
By The Times of India | Fri Sep 11 2020
NOIDA: The manufacturing hubs in Gautam Budh Nagar are gradually returning to normalcy. Of the 240 factories within the Noida Special Economic Zone (NSEZ), 180 have resumed operations. According to Ajay Goel, President of the NSEZ Welfare Association, these units have restored their workforce to full strength, with 40,000 blue-collar employees back at work and 10,000 IT professionals contributing through remote work. Salaries are also being reinstated to pre-COVID levels.
However, the situation differs for other small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the district. Kulmani Gupta, President of the Noida chapter of the Indian Industries Association (IIA), stated that factories in various industrial sectors are operating with only about 60-70% of their staff. He attributed this to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh and the fact that many workers who took a sabbatical during the lockdown have not yet returned. Gupta emphasized the need for workers to return promptly to achieve full operational capacity.
While the NSEZ has implemented safety measures, including on-site COVID-19 testing facilities and free transportation for employees, SMEs continue to face challenges in restoring their workforce and operations to pre-pandemic levels.