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| Corona management: A view point | | |
Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
The lockdown is like a quick-change artist; it becomes many things for many people. One of those easy truisms is dished out about India is the duality of it. There are two Indians; First ruling class including rich class and second the poor including farmers and laborers. The second India is well out of sight of the first. In between the two is third practical force of social organizations/religious platforms that are really catering to the neediest and providing two times meal across the country. We salute such souls. “Loyalty to the nation all the time and Loyalty to the Government, when it deserves it” – Mark Twain and I feel it is the convenient time to display loyalty and to comfort the Government with one’s mind. It is not government in trouble but it is the common man and especially the laborer class of the country in dilemma. For inking few lines on corona management, I had to face an inner trouble while advancing my view-point on misadventures of government and various decisions taken by government from time to time. Apparently management of COVID-19 failed to solace the hapless class of this country. The Government moved to some seriousness, only when the situation on daily basis started slipping from bad to worse. The first case of contracting COVID-19 trace back to China on 17, November, 2019, according to the South Morning China Post and the first case of the COVID-19 in India reported on 30 January 2020. When the Wuhan was in red headlines, because of COVID-19, India lifted 323 citizens from Wuhan city of China. Sensing trouble and realizing its responsibility, some of the state Governments such as: Kerala Government declared corona a state calamity on 4 Feb and banned all public gatherings suspending schools/colleges. On 10 March, Punjab and Chhattisgarh governments declared all school/colleges closed. In view of the gravity of the situation, central government was required to look for visionary and comprehensive policies to defeat the COVID-19 but it remained occupied in event management of visit of President of America scheduled for February 24-25, 2019 for political mileage. The number of corona cases outside China increased 13-fold and the number of countries with cases increased threefold with expectation of further increase, “The World Health Organization (WHO)” on March 11, 2020, declared the novel corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Even then the Government did not pay any heed and failed to work out planning to combat Pandemic. Practically it failed to visualize the outcome of the COVID-19. Without realizing the gravity, PM first time addressing the nation on 19 March, 2019, (A week after corona declared as global Pandemic) said that the Covid-19 pandemic is a crisis that has impacted the globe in a way even more than the two World Wars. This crisis is so big and global that all Indians need to combat the situation with resolve. Presenting the horrific face of the Pandemic, with no any policing to combat it, PM very casually just called to observe self imposed ‘Janta Curfew’ on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm and an assurance to set up a Task Force that will ensure that all steps taken to reduce the economic difficulties are effectively implemented. What followed next, when confirmed positive corona virus cases swelled to 500, most required but most ill-conceived and un-planned nationwide lockdown for 21days was imposed as a preventive measure, enforcing a series of regulations in the country, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion population of India without consulting any state government and without taking them into confidence? This created chaos across the country but people followed it with sincerity. The gravity of situation with the increasing number of positive cases, and as desired by state governments and recommended by advisories committees, the period (Most required) of lockdown extended to 3, May, 2020. During the first lap of 21 days lockdown, government failed to regulate the movement of migrant labors that by this time has been shackled by the starvation. All tall claims of the central as well as state governments proved to be hollow and miserably failed to keep its promise of providing shelter and food to one and all. Instead of focusing much to formulate policies for smooth conduct of migrant laborer, the government focused on collecting money by creating PM CARES Fund for public donations, reduced the allowances and pension of MPs by 30 percent, suspending MPLAD fund meant for local development and freezing the three installments of the Government employees as well as of retirees. The PM taking him as demi-god appealed the private sector not to stop the wages of their employees, appealed the land lords/house hold owners not to push out tenants and to ward off the rent, all brushed away by the concerned and TV channels flooded with the news and visuals as not responding to any such appeal of PM. The hapless holed up panicked people especially, migrant labor started moving to their home states on foot or by any other means they could manage in the light of grinding halt of movement of transport facilities. The government resorted to the batons to stop this migration. On 1 May, lockdown across the country was further extended by two more weeks till 17 May 2020. This extension escalated more lawlessness and this spell moved government to move on its railways to bring back the migrant labor and holed up populace to their states. After approximately 50 days, PM announced 20 lacs crore package to revive its economy and its benefits are being un-veiled on daily basis by FM of India. But what traversed in between is a sordid story of sufferings especially the people at its lowest ebb. Commentators worried about the economic devastation caused by the lockdown, which has huge effects on informal workers, micro and small enterprises, farmers and the self-employed, who are left with no livelihood in the absence of transportation and access to markets.
At the time of imposition of first spell of lockdown having 500 positive cases, as on 16 May 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has confirmed a total of 81,970 cases and 2,649 deaths, of course the recovery is also 27,920. Still there are people looking with different specks and stating, India has tremendous capacity to deal with the corona virus outbreak and, as the second most populous country, will have enormous impact on the world's ability to deal with it. The corona virus has exposed underlying fractures in the infrastructure of the Country, including health care. |
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