It's day 15 of the nationwide lockdown and manufacturers, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies engaged in ensuring that essentials are in adequate supply across the country have sent a SOS to the central government.

According to government sources, the SOS is regarding an urgent need to address labour shortage so that factories can resume and start fresh processing to meet the demand.

"Manufacturers, companies who are providing essentials have got in touch with consumer affairs department and have said that fresh processing of flour, cooking oil, eatables, other grocery items etc at factory level needs to start to meet demand. But a major challenge that they are facing is that labourers are not available, due to which factory owners are unable to start production," government sources in the know told CNBC-TV18 on the condition of anonymity.

Post SOS, taking urgent attention, consumer affairs department has now started a fresh dialogue with ministry of home affairs, PMO, industries, large corporates and other quarters to find "best possible solutions to get labourers back to factories to ensure smooth running of manufacturing," sources added.

Manufacturers have cited to the consumer affairs that "the mass exodus of migrant labourers from across the country to their native places, immediately after the announcement of lockdown, has left industries and factories with no workers, even if they have permission from local authorities to run factories", sources privy to the developments told CNBC-TV18.

"Industries say that they have reached out to their workforce but they are stuck in their hometowns, since no transportation facility such as buses and railways are operating to get them back to work," confirmed a senior consumer affairs department officials.

Meanwhile, to ease the crunch till a possible solution is worked out by the government, consumer affairs department has set-up control rooms to monitor current available stock, procurement etc, so that a constant supply of essentials is maintained in the country

First Published:Apr 8, 2020 7:26 PM IST