India pins hopes on Gulf travel, cargo to help lift battered economy

India pins hopes on Gulf travel, cargo to help lift battered economy

Rising demand for passenger travel and cargo services between the Gulf region and India could offer rare crumbs of comfort to the country's battered economy as it battles a big resurgence in Covid-19 infections.

Covid cases in India shot up to almost 3.7 million on Tuesday, with deaths from the deadly virus impact so far touching 56,288. On Sunday, India registered the highest 24 hour rise in fresh cases globally at a little over 80,000.

India also reported its worst ever contraction in the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate by 23.9 percent on Monday during the April-June quarter, a period mostly marked by a stringent country-wide lockdown, forcing factories and movement of goods to a grinding halt.

"With India's export sector staring at a substantial plunge in export orders from major markets,