NEW DELHI: The world is on the threshold of a new era of cooperation in which individuals, business and nations more readily join forces, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and only a global effort can help get back to normality from the health crisis, according to Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
In his new year address to over 7.5 lakh employees of the consumer products to aerospace conglomerate, Chandrasekaran said the pandemic has rewritten the rules and there has been a shift in priorities with greater focus on safety and resilience, and a transition from 'just in time' toward 'just in case' -- changes that "offer a glimpse of the new economy that will emerge from the old".
"Beyond individual companies, citizens and governments have come together in ways that only recently would have been hard to imagine. We are, I hope, on the threshold of a new era of cooperation, in which individuals, businesses and nations more readily join forces," he said. Stressing that such cooperation is needed, Chandrasekaran further said, "To distribute a vaccine to every country in the world will be an international operation of unparalleled complexity. The same is true of rapid testing and new treatments. Only a global effort can get us back to normality." Stating that rules are being rewritten due to COVID-19,he said, "This year we learned that many things once undertaken outside the home can be done equally well inside it. Shopping. Education. Healthcare. Work." Alongside practical adaptations to lockdown, there has been a shift in priorities: greater focus on safety and resilience, and a transition from 'just in time' toward 'just in case', he added.
Such changes offer a glimpse of the new economy that will emerge from the old, Chandrasekaran said adding "resilience will be key-in our approach to the environment, supply chains or how we build stronger connections with our communities". While this year has been hard, he said,"we end it with a renewed sense of possibility. Buried in the stress and trauma of COVID-19 are opportunities for renewal."
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