Noted economist Raghuram Rajan on Thursday said the Covid-19 lockdown cannot last forever and India needs to be “clever” about the reopening. His comments came during a conversation with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Raghuram Rajan said there India needs to reopen businesses as livelihoods of millions are at risk due to the extended lockdown.

The former RBI governor also said that there is an urgent need for the government to support the country's poor. When Gandhi asked how much money India needs to help its poor population during the lockdown, Rajan said India will need a budget of at least Rs 65,000 crore.

"India should do this," Rajan said.

During the conversation, Rajan also said India needs to think about how it plans to open up businesses and offices. "What we have to do is manage the lockdown. India needs to be clever about the lockdown reopening strategy," he said.

Rajan said the government needs to think about several factors that are necessary to restart businesses including public transport.

He added that India also needs to ramp up testing and that the country's testing rate is nowhere close to the US. Rajan also added that India needs to allocate its resources smartly in comparison to western countries, which have greater financial power.

On whether India has an opportunity in the post-pandemic era, Rajan said, "There are ways countries can take advantage of the situation. There will be rethinking. In this situation India can find opportunities for Its industry."

Rajan also spoke on many other topics including the importance of open governance and decentralisation of power.