CORONA VIRUS AND THE INDIAN RESPONSE
Since the first case was reported in end January 2020, the response of the governments both at center and the states had been exemplary despite some minor mishaps here and there. However, given the density and size of the population of the country, the response so far had been one of the best given the circumstances. Contrary to many official claims, the country had passed onto the stage 3, i.e. community spread, from one to another. The lock down for close to 50 days had helped the governments to delay the onset of the community spread. But it had not spread to that an extent that it is making the health care facility breaking at seams. Still the medical care personnel and the facilities are able to manage the patients being admitted in hospitals. The percentage of cured patients is the highest among many advanced nations. The percentage of death also is the lowest among all nations that are affected by this virus. Despite all these heart warming stats, there are still some grey areas in the country that are of concern.
One of the state governments had been vehemently denying any serious infection in that state for a long time and even did not allow the inter-ministerial team visiting the hot-spots. The team was reportedly taken a tour of areas which are either mildly affected or not at all. This has affected the realistic assessment of the infected and consequent required action and support from the central government. Even after this, the number of reported infections and the dead due to the virus from the state are still debatable, though the numbers have started raising dramatically in the past three weeks. It is reported that the government machinery is pressurising the health officials to report even the viral fatalities as due to other causes, in an attempt to project low infection and consequent low mortality in the state.
The central government, while stopping all the train services, advised the state governments to ensure that the migrant labour in each state is taken care of with food and ration. Some states started dispensing the ration through the district administration to many migrant labour population. However, the migrant labour had been restive all along with the apathy shown by some of the state governments. The political one-up-man-ship, in these trying times of fighting the virus, has also made these migrant labour a pawn in their political fight with the ruling party in the center. Despite making arrangement for running special trains with the cost borne by the center and the state governments, a few political parties were trying to cash in on the opportunity for a political mileage by projecting the free travel of the migrants as a bonanza from their party coffers. Even after running a good number of trains to many parts of eastern India from many cities as far away as Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, etc. still a large number of migrants are left out and some of them started their trek back to their native states. The media which excels in projecting only the negativity in any situation, lapped this up with their photographers, video journalists, even directing a few migrants to pose and start walking to shoot and capture it on films to project them as failure of the government. A state that requires more number of trains to get the migrants from that state to other states, refused to allow the trains to proceed to the destination and initially stopped them at the border, capitulated only after a threat by the railway officials and workers.
The human suffering is one part of the virus infection and consequent lock-down announced by the government. The economic suffering of many is the other one. The lock down and consequent closing of business and industries has robbed many of their lively-hood and made them paupers with no place to stay as they could not afford the rent and no food to feed the mouths that depended on their income. The stoppage of maid servants by many in bigger cities (either on their own or on the advice of district administration) has resulted in many women working as house help when the menfolk were working in various trade/industry and commerce losing their earnings overnight. This has put pressure on the families to resort to return to their native land where they could some how manage to eke out a living than living in a big city with uncertain future. The extension of lock-down two times to end on May 17th and uncertainty about further extension also speaks volumes about these people's plight.
The governments that have been traditionally depending on the revenue from liquor sales through private or state owned liquor shops, have re-opened the same for shoring up their revenue that is depleting at an alarming rate daily with the continuation of the lock-down. The government in the center has announced in four different tranches the various packages to re-boot the economy with an emphasis on agriculture and MSME with more migrant labour returning to their homeland from bigger cities. The labour returning to their homeland is going to present another problem to the industry that are labour intensive and who had been thriving with the migrant labour from some of the north and eastern states. The states where the migrant labour population had been higher, should bring out a policy to enable such migrant labour to become part of the state and start living there itself without any economic need to go back. Unless such a statutory support is there for these migrant labour, such reverse migration cannot be stopped which will render restarting many industrial units impossible. The labour, though promised free ration, food, money etc., it is a big question how many states were ready to offer such things, when they were already reeling under heavy debt burden and absolutely no revenue. A few states have already revised the prize of liquor upwards and the VAT on petroleum products. Despite the steep fall in the international crude prizes, the excise duty by the central government is hiked up to keep the margins well above to earn a better return to meet the contingencies. Added to that, the states revising the VAT, making the consequent increase in various other services will be felt in the days to come. In the immediate post relaxation of lock down period, the common man is going to find the going extremely tough with almost all the commodities at a higher price than what they were sold at prior to lock down thanks to lower production, higher transportation cost, lower labour to handle the production and distribution and break down of supply chain. While the lock-down has affected one and all including those engaged in industry, trade and commerce, the loss of revenue and consequent loss of profit, they should not be attempted to be made good in a shorter time with increased prizing of all commodities. The governments at center and the states have to bring suitable measures to see that there is no fleecing the common man by the industry, trade and commerce in the aftermath of this lengthy lock down.
One of the state governments had been vehemently denying any serious infection in that state for a long time and even did not allow the inter-ministerial team visiting the hot-spots. The team was reportedly taken a tour of areas which are either mildly affected or not at all. This has affected the realistic assessment of the infected and consequent required action and support from the central government. Even after this, the number of reported infections and the dead due to the virus from the state are still debatable, though the numbers have started raising dramatically in the past three weeks. It is reported that the government machinery is pressurising the health officials to report even the viral fatalities as due to other causes, in an attempt to project low infection and consequent low mortality in the state.
The central government, while stopping all the train services, advised the state governments to ensure that the migrant labour in each state is taken care of with food and ration. Some states started dispensing the ration through the district administration to many migrant labour population. However, the migrant labour had been restive all along with the apathy shown by some of the state governments. The political one-up-man-ship, in these trying times of fighting the virus, has also made these migrant labour a pawn in their political fight with the ruling party in the center. Despite making arrangement for running special trains with the cost borne by the center and the state governments, a few political parties were trying to cash in on the opportunity for a political mileage by projecting the free travel of the migrants as a bonanza from their party coffers. Even after running a good number of trains to many parts of eastern India from many cities as far away as Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, etc. still a large number of migrants are left out and some of them started their trek back to their native states. The media which excels in projecting only the negativity in any situation, lapped this up with their photographers, video journalists, even directing a few migrants to pose and start walking to shoot and capture it on films to project them as failure of the government. A state that requires more number of trains to get the migrants from that state to other states, refused to allow the trains to proceed to the destination and initially stopped them at the border, capitulated only after a threat by the railway officials and workers.
The human suffering is one part of the virus infection and consequent lock-down announced by the government. The economic suffering of many is the other one. The lock down and consequent closing of business and industries has robbed many of their lively-hood and made them paupers with no place to stay as they could not afford the rent and no food to feed the mouths that depended on their income. The stoppage of maid servants by many in bigger cities (either on their own or on the advice of district administration) has resulted in many women working as house help when the menfolk were working in various trade/industry and commerce losing their earnings overnight. This has put pressure on the families to resort to return to their native land where they could some how manage to eke out a living than living in a big city with uncertain future. The extension of lock-down two times to end on May 17th and uncertainty about further extension also speaks volumes about these people's plight.
The governments that have been traditionally depending on the revenue from liquor sales through private or state owned liquor shops, have re-opened the same for shoring up their revenue that is depleting at an alarming rate daily with the continuation of the lock-down. The government in the center has announced in four different tranches the various packages to re-boot the economy with an emphasis on agriculture and MSME with more migrant labour returning to their homeland from bigger cities. The labour returning to their homeland is going to present another problem to the industry that are labour intensive and who had been thriving with the migrant labour from some of the north and eastern states. The states where the migrant labour population had been higher, should bring out a policy to enable such migrant labour to become part of the state and start living there itself without any economic need to go back. Unless such a statutory support is there for these migrant labour, such reverse migration cannot be stopped which will render restarting many industrial units impossible. The labour, though promised free ration, food, money etc., it is a big question how many states were ready to offer such things, when they were already reeling under heavy debt burden and absolutely no revenue. A few states have already revised the prize of liquor upwards and the VAT on petroleum products. Despite the steep fall in the international crude prizes, the excise duty by the central government is hiked up to keep the margins well above to earn a better return to meet the contingencies. Added to that, the states revising the VAT, making the consequent increase in various other services will be felt in the days to come. In the immediate post relaxation of lock down period, the common man is going to find the going extremely tough with almost all the commodities at a higher price than what they were sold at prior to lock down thanks to lower production, higher transportation cost, lower labour to handle the production and distribution and break down of supply chain. While the lock-down has affected one and all including those engaged in industry, trade and commerce, the loss of revenue and consequent loss of profit, they should not be attempted to be made good in a shorter time with increased prizing of all commodities. The governments at center and the states have to bring suitable measures to see that there is no fleecing the common man by the industry, trade and commerce in the aftermath of this lengthy lock down.
Nice writeup
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. Your narration stage by stage gives clear picture about the occurrence. The migrant workers were actually ditched by the employers especially Big companies. A friend of mine who is running a foundry retained the work force from March onwards And by God's grace started production for the last one week. Most of the construction industry will find it Hard in the coming days to continue as they have not taken care most of the migrant workers.
ReplyDeleteThe existence of migrant workers is known to all the players well in advance. The various State govts acted innocent on this aspect and strangely the first video conference in March with CMS PM AND HM did not discuss this crucial issue and I have to surmise that they were taken for granted and the reverse migration caught them pants down. The unwanted controversy about train fares further muddied the issue.
ReplyDeleteThe liberal sickulars and the media took to this issue like fish to water and not going to stop anytime soon.
The industries which depends on this labour are going to suffer. Ss you have pointed out the overall virus management is good but the tableqee and koyambedu disasters could have been prevented. All said and done economically its going to be harsh monsoon and winter with various hues of salary cut, job loss , revenue loss .