There was never really any doubt that the government would extend the temporary relief provided to the construction sector, if allowing black money to flow into a very crucial sector at a very important time can be called relief, because apparently a very large number of people were only just lining up to take advantage of it. The government’s compulsion is understandable. There’s very little room to stimulate the economy, especially since the rapidly growing number of new infections as well as deaths from the second wave of the coronavirus might shut it down sooner rather than later. So it is in that much more of a hurry to get the ball rolling. And since and uptick in construction picks up dozens of associated sectors as well, the government’s idea of registering an improvement in some very important indicators and also provide relief to as many people as possible is the right thing to do. But it will be important to get the direction of all the activity right. Nobody should make any mistake that the future of the construction industry is going to be very different from the past. Because of population and space issues more and more people are going to turn to high rise apartment living as opposed to large, spacious villas. And the way the pandemic has changed working culture, with organisations looking to keep the work-from-home model for the longer term, and also the fact that shopping malls and the like just do not have the same appeal anymore, it would do nobody any good if the new upsurge in construction leave behind a glut of uninhabited houses and not very frequently visited shopping centres. Usually a lot of planning goes into such policies. But this time the government was unable to put in any of the necessary homework because of the situation created by the coronavirus. And, most likely, while seeking out sectors that could deliver the most with the least help and in minimum time, authorities saw nothing better than construction simply because of the story that comes with it; that it leads and stimulates other sectors and can do wonders for short-term employment figures. Now the best that can be done is to give it all the help it needs and hope that it delivers the kind of results expected of it. These are very trying times and the government should be appreciated for the way it is trying to keep the economy running. *