Intro
· ANo one in India would be able to forget horrible images of labour migrants returning to their home often thousands of kilometers walking: An image of boy sleeping over suitcase and mother pullin it, an image of a 2 year old girl try to awakening her dead father in railway station, a teenager girl on cycle driving her ailing father from Haryana to her village in Bihar. Undoubtedly, as highlighted by International Labour Organisation, Covid19 was the world’s worst global crisis since WWII (ILO)
Present Impacts
·
Negative
o
Mass movement of labour migrants: one of the
largest humanitarian crisis
o
An estimated 12 crore people lost employment in
India (CMIE data)
o
Frequent instances of salary cuts and firing of
employees by corporates
o
Highlighted the plight of long neglected
healthcare sector (time bought through lockdown can never be sufficient to fix
the very foundational gaps in healthcare, a long term vision is needed)
o
Hunger and malnutrition aggravated among
children (further increase stunting, wasting)
o
Domestic violence increased (complaints data
received by NCW)
o
Toll on mental health
o
Education suffered because of closing of
schools, colleges and universities
o
Neglect of patients suffering from other
diseases
o
Vulnerable population like children, old age
people and differently abled suffered most
o
Lockdown: decreased physical activities (walks,
gym, playground) -
increased obesity and fear of other life threatening diseases
o
Labour shortage in agriculture – will result in decreased
productivity
o
Reverse globalisation: borders among nations,
states, cities up to the village and block level
o
Highlighted deep digital divides prevailing in
our society
o
The crisis once led to deep religious divide
(Tablighi Jamat issue) but was later overcome
·
Positive
o
Every Indian has now learnt the importance of
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
o
Highlighted the benefits possessed by strong
bonding in Joint family system
o
Stature of police, healthcare workers increased
(air force aircrafts showering petals on hospitals)
o
Environment, wildlife and pollution
o
Highlighted vital role played by Civil Society
and NGOs in food distribution, ration supply –
SHGs played an important role in manufacturing masks
o
Our very way of life changed
§
Eating in restaurants to online delivery of food
§
Working in offices to work from home
§
Conventional health and education delivery
methods to tele medicine and online teaching
§
Meetings shifted from conference rooms to VCs
through zoom, google meet, skype
§
Even online marriages
§
Telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharat on
Doordarshan witnessed highest TRP ever
o
Race for vaccine: Highlighted the fact that
whenever humanity faces any threat, it gets united and moves forward
collectively towards finding a solution (solidarity trials)
o
Boost to digital platform in governance (VCs, e
office, online circulars and orders, e pass)
o
Boost to India’s international image: world
leaders thanking our PM for exporting Hydroxychloroquine (further strengthened
our idea of Vasudhaiv Kutumbhakam)
Future Impacts
·
40 crore people will slip below poverty line
(ILO Report)
·
Masks, regular hand washing and maintain
distance (do gaz doori) will now be an integral part of our lives
·
Everything will change: the way we interact, our
education system, working of offices, simple marriages, travelling in trains
and aircrafts (with reduced capacity)
·
The crisis helped us to identify deep cracks within
the Global institutions like WHO, UN and the need for reforms
Way Forward
·
We have to think ways of living, surviving and
moving ahead along with the virus (Aatmanirbhar Bharat)
· Spending on healthcare should drastically
increase
· Increased focus on WASH in our daily lives
· Organized the unorganised sector
· Need to reorient labour laws
· Need to build strong social security net for the
poor (use of Aadhar, mapping of unorganised workers, One Nation One Ration
Card)
· Facilitate and empower civil society, NGOs, SHGs
· Nations and societies must realize that this war
cant be won individually but collectively
· Need to stress on revival of idea of Gandhiji’s
concept of oceanic circle (self reliant and empowered villages)
