One of the backbones of the #Covid19 lockdown is India's Kirana-shop network. They have not merely kept 1.3bn people supplied despite many difficulties, they extend localized credit, provide doorstep delivery, and source products for specific needs. An incredible effort.
This Kirana-shop network is not merely an important part of our economic system but is part of our social capital. It should not be allowed to be dissolved by impersonal mega-chains. We need to clean up local market places & modernize them for the 21st century.
In fact, I quite like visiting local markets across India. They mostly need to be cleaned up, made pedestrian friendly and free of stray animals. Otherwise, they are to wander around as they have far more character and variety of goods than impersonal super-markets.
