Who suffered the income loss in India during the COVID-19 lockdown?

Abstract

Abstract The worldwide spread COVID 19 Pandemic has severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of all sections of the society. Due to the nationwide lockdown during the first wave, a record high level of unemployment was witnessed. In this context, we have tried to answer who suffered the income loss in India during the first phase of COVID-19 lockdown? Did the low-income households suffer more income loss than the high-income households? Did the households that had COVID-19 infection suffer more income loss? Did rural households suffer more income loss than urban households? Did the households residing in the red zone suffer more income loss than others? We observe that a relatively more significant proportion of low-income households suffered income loss than high-income households. A higher percentage of households reporting job loss suffered the income loss. We did not find any significant difference between the income loss of households residing in the red zone and other zones and rural and urban areas. Similarly, education of the households, household size, and COVID infection did not make a significant difference to the income loss of the households. JEL Codes: E66, E24, E29