If we want them back, there has to be a solid reason and incentive for them to do so. Confinement without food won’t do
Nothing much has changed for the about 20 lakh migrant labourers, who have been displaced by the lockdown to contain COVID-19, driven out of their site shacks following stoppage of economic activity and left to fend for themselves with little or no savings. Turfed out of an existence as they knew it, they began the long walk home, fleeing a disease that they had not asked for but were exposed to, and returning to their subsistence livelihoods in the village. At least, there they would eat whatever the land would yield and they would be safe. And then they were held in camps by different State authorities, sometimes subjected to disinfectant jet sprays and at other times treated like pests and looked at with suspicion even if they offered themselves up for any job at hand. Although the lockdown is now being opened in a staggered manner to enable farm activity and construction, the flight has meant that a chunk of these labourers would rather avail these income openings in their own villages and States than staying on in cramped camps. There is a reason why 1,500 labourers virtually revolted and gathered at a bus stand in Mumbai’s Bandra on Tuesday afternoon, demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places. Their reasons are common to all inmates huddled at makeshift camps that came up in various States in fits and starts, rather than as part of a unified policy. For all tall claims by authorities, they have no food. The Food Corporation of India godowns may be full and we may have many times more reserves than are required but with the supply and distribution chain broken down and disproportionately functional in places, no rations have reached these camps. Most labourers do not get more than one meal a day at a time when body resistance and immunity are primary concerns. Media reports indicate some of them are surviving on just rice, starch and salt. Except for private charitable organisations and trusts, there is no directive that makes Government community kitchens mandatory and keeps them running. Makeshift common toilet facilities are another problem, causing hygiene related deficiencies and compounding the risk factor for contracting the disease. Besides, there are no work opportunities or any kind of stipend. Apart from spraying disinfectants, there is no medical camp that assesses their health condition, leave alone testing for the virus. So the impatience and frustration are just getting over the tipping point. And that anger is manifesting in furious ways, sometimes as an assault on policemen enforcing the lockdown, at other times looting and damaging trucks full of supplies or simply staging sit-ins, demanding that they be allowed to travel. A recent survey has shown that four out of 10 labourers did not have ration left even for one day and 90 per cent had lost their only source of income in three weeks.
There is also a latent emotional reason. Rejected overnight by cities that they have serviced over the years and their residents who went into self-protection mode, they now are angry and want life on their terms. And they want to be home, a basic human instinct when battling a threat to survival itself. Yes, the Government did tout the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana, that would ensure that each one would get an additional five kg rice or wheat per month. The problem with migrants is they do not have ration cards here but in their villages. Those who do cannot use them either, simply because they do not guarantee portability like an Aadhaar and can be used only at the address registered on them. Besides, clustered in unknown sites, they do not know how to access fair price shops. Perhaps food coupons would have been better. As it is, the mass exodus has affected the economy badly with agriculture and small industrial units lacking enough staff. Perhaps the States housing camps should prepare a roster of units going empty, farms in need of manpower and send labourers there for work after a health check-up and an assurance of a clean accommodation, howsoever temporary. If we want to keep them back, then there has to be a reason and incentive solid enough for them to do so. Factory and farm owners need to restore confidence like clearing their dues, something that most MSMEs cannot as the Government is yet to repay them. Different State Governments may have to issue several work permits to get them back and keep them safe in a post-Covid work environment. It would be prudent to let those, who have been allowed to drift away too far out, to return and let them avail of MGNREGA schemes in their native villages. It is time to revive the village economy and set up import substitution units to decentralise the growth engine and get small wheels moving and pick up speed. If a solution is not worked out soon, protests and clashes will become the new normal as the in-betweeners could fuel a social uprising. We have no right to decide for them from a position of privilege but must guarantee their productive worth instead.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- wp:image {"id":23779,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->
<!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
With nations across the world facing a critical test, India’s vibrant democracy and cultural generosity have created the synergy needed to face the challenges posed by COVID-19
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Some contours of the post-Coronavirus world are clearly visible. The nation State has regained legitimacy; the case for free flow of refugees/immigrants across a borderless world has collapsed; and Governments are facing the critical test of whether they can rally their people behind them to overcome the disease. India has performed remarkably well so far, though critics may carp that steps taken in February and March could have been taken earlier. Perhaps, or as Maurice Maeterlinck mused: “It is easy for those who are wise after the event to see what ought to have been done when time has brought full knowledge of what was really taking place” (Wisdom and Destiny).
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Doomsday accounts of Cassandras in reputed (sic) Western media and their acolytes in India have proved demonstrably false. India’s vibrant democracy and cultural generosity have created the synergy needed to face the challenges posed by COVID-19. Immediately after the lockdown was announced, civil society across the country rose as one to daily feed millions in every city, without discrimination; virtually every mandir, matham, gurdwara is at work. Five star hotels, dharamsalas and guest houses are providing quality accommodation for overworked medical staff. Even migrant labourers, who were misguided to leave Delhi or panicked and left other cities, have been provided for by citizens along the route.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The Indian Railways imaginatively converted unused bogeys into quarantine facilities. Research labs, companies and young engineers are innovating to make ventilators, splitters for ventilators, fumigation chambers, protective gear for medical staff, smart stethoscopes and sanitiser trunks. Households are making and distributing masks to the needy. In Pakistan, NGOs are denying food and rations to poor Hindus and Christians suffering from Coronavirus, an act that has angered even its Muslim neighbours. Long suffering Balochistan complains of neglect; medical staff lack Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and quarantine facilities are disgraceful. The silence of the hyperactive international media is deafening.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
What makes India’s response unique is the Union Cabinet’s decision to reduce salary, allowances and pensions of all Members of Parliament (MPs) by a whopping 30 per cent for one year, with effect from April 1, 2020. The President, Vice President and Governors voluntarily took a similar pay cut as social responsibility. The MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) has been suspended for two years (2020-21 and 2021-22); all money saved will go to the Consolidated Fund of India. This scale of personal sacrifice is unmatched in the world so far; even children have been inspired to give their savings (for bicycle, birthday) to feed the needy.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Most noteworthy is the speed with which India evacuated its stranded citizens, first from Wuhan (epicenter of the outbreak) and then from other cities: Milan and Rome; Tehran; Manila and Singapore. Of the 890 people evacuated from COVID-19-affected countries, 48 hailed from the Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, the US, Israel, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru. They were evacuated at the request of their Governments.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Special efforts were made to rescue 124 people quarantined on board the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship off the Japanese port of Yokohama, which included five nationals from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru. India did offer to rescue Pakistani students from Wuhan but Islamabad rebuffed; seven Maldivians were evacuated.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with leaders of the South Asian nations and launched a fund, with an initial contribution of $10 million, to check the spread of the pandemic in the region. India also responded to requests for emergency medical equipment from Bhutan and the Maldives. The country also participated in the G-20 video conference to discuss containment strategies and the economic impact of the outbreak, especially unemployment.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Our country has already taken the lead in the struggle to develop a vaccine and on April 11, the Department of Science and Technology agreed to fund Seagull BioSolutions Pvt Ltd to develop Active Virosome Vaccine and Immunodiagnostic kits for COVID-19. As the largest manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), currently considered a life-saving drug for fighting Coronavirus, India is supplying it to 30 countries, including the US, and ramping up production for future needs. However, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used to manufacture HCQ comes from China, which continued supplies throughout the crisis but in the coming days, we will have to revisit our domestic manufacturing strategy.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The anti-tuberculosis BCG vaccine is emerging as another potential cure. India’s low death rate is said to be due to its universal immunisation schedule that includes BCG and a fair amount of population immunity to malaria. An ongoing research at the New York Institute of Technology shows that countries that discontinued the BCG vaccine (the US, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Iran and the UK) have proved very vulnerable to COVID-19.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Comparisons are undesirable at this apocalyptic moment in human history but given the uncalled for attacks on India from some responsible quarters, some points are in order. India saw its first case of Coronavirus in the last week of January, around the same time as Europe and the US. After initially claiming the disease would go away on its own, US President Donald Trump said on March 30 that administration estimates show that COVID-19 could kill 100,000 to 200,000 people in America and such a toll would indicate that his administration has “done a very good job.” Imagine an Indian leader saying such a death toll is acceptable and surviving. At the time of writing, the world had 1,853,327 cases and 114,250 deaths; India had 9,152 cases and 308 mortalities.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The pandemic has inflicted deep pain, disrupting incomes of those dependent on daily wages, creating havoc among small businesses and manufacturing units and triggering mass unemployment. Sadly, India is looking at an extension of the three-week lockdown imposed on March 25 because thousands gathered at the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin, Delhi, including 280 from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, to attend a meeting on March 13, defied prohibitory orders.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Many left and spread the disease to other States and countries. Police escorted some to the airport after the March 22 janata curfew but they returned surreptitiously; the authorities were called only on March 30 after one person died. Thereafter, the behaviour of many in hospital has been unmentionable. Yet, Indian medical staff have served them with exemplary dedication and moral fortitude; all talk of the “sectoral targetting of a particular community” is invidious and deserves outright condemnation.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
(Writer: Sandhya Jain; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
Lockdown extension was inevitable but without specifics of a bailout, Modi’s speech remained anodyne
There is a visual that is far more telling than that of our pater familias Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to his family of soldier citizens whose sacrifice, pain and toil he acknowledged. What was unacknowledged was the destitution of a man and street dogs licking the milk off the tarmac that had spilt from a tanker on a road in Agra. Nobody is disputing the fact that given India’s particularities — clustered populations, frail healthcare systems and a resource-starved management — a lockdown was necessary, even its extension. But this in the end is just a holding out operation. As the spiral of cases continues with increased testing, though it is not at the aggressive pace as is required, there is a spread that even lockdowns may not be able to prevent all too much. Yes, we have been slow in acting against the Coronavirus pandemic, we should have suspended international flights at least two weeks ago, the screening of passengers was limited to just thermal scans (the quarantine condition came much much later), the lockdown was imposed abruptly without preparation and because of still low testing, our disease burden is difficult to fathom. Although Modi countered such claims, all of which are by the way based on official data, saying India had acted much earlier than any other country, this is not the time for comparatives. There will be more deaths due to job losses, food riots and prolonged suspension of economic activity. This is anyway India’s lost year and lost opportunity. It is appreciable that Modi knows a nation ardently waits to listen to his words of wisdom in times such as these and he plays to the gallery. But he ought to have acted more like a father figure and given us an economic package that everybody was looking forward to, talked of a plan B of living with the virus till a vaccine is found, mentioned fund disbursement from all the PM’s relief funds that have been set up overnight to close gaps in the COVID-19 war room and given a directive on supply-chain management that would ensure the food reaches the beneficiaries it is intended for rather than being wasted on a hot summer day. In short, he had to be more specific than asking us to look after the old and the poor. The civil society knows what it has to do, the PM does not have to remind us of that but he needs to give us a direction that we do not know about.
The point is there was no mention of an increased GDP allocation to aid liquidity and working capital for industries that have already gone under. Other countries have done it and some experts have even suggested borrowings. Although the Opposition Congress doesn’t have much political or emotional heft now, it did raise the right questions about “targetted monetary injections; Keynesian spending, loosening the FMRB and so on.” Also, by saying that districts that do well in containing the spread might see lockdown relaxation from April 20, Modi spelt out no plan for those that are worst-hit. Are people living here to be condemned for their geographical choice or are they to be tested aggressively, treated and the infection-free made to sign up for zonal work permits with given protocols? But there was no such assurance or even interest for those locked out indefinitely. They almost seemed like being a test subject under surveillance in China. While rural harvesting and agricultural work have been resumed in places, industrial units and infrastructure projects need to be started in uninfected areas immediately. Zoning and phasing production with certified staff need to start as well. You may hold fleeing migrant labourers and daily wage earners in camps but things are not so welfarist there either. There are complaints of inadequate rations, cramped conditions and common toilets which they want to escape in the absence of gainful employment. They would rather be healthy in the subsistence economy of their village homes than risk it in alien cities and towns that were the first to turn them out. Job losses are not only about the unorganised sector, they are happening in the organised sector, too. Be it hospitality, tourism, retail majors or media, the vapourisation of visible products has meant that companies are slashing salaries, furloughing employees or retiring those on the cusp of their sunset years. Small businesses have all but wrapped up. And this is just three weeks. If indeed the spiral merits an extended lockdown, then an economic package must be in place. It cannot come in a piecemeal manner or a measured way to gain political mileage later. Modi, the PM, has to appear as everybody’s benefactor, not of his constituents. A pan-India TV speech is the best platform to do it, rather than telling employers not to sack people.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
The media is a tertiary industry and as a result will face more trouble before things improve. Which may take years
News about salary delays, cuts and outright layoffs are rampant on groups of journalists. The seemingly heavy-handed cutbacks, which are being blamed on the Coronavirus, have affected both veteran journalists and rookie reporters. Lest it be upon us to judge the decisions made by other media groups, every single media entity is in a spot of financial trouble, including this newspaper, as revenue sources — be it from the Government or the private sector — have completely dried up during the lockdown. At the same time, costs for printing and distribution as well as salaries have remained the same. Then virulent misinformation about the spread of COVID-19 through newspapers has prevented distributors from giving them out in all areas. Newspapers are still better off than their brethren in the magazine sector, where in many cases, printing presses are shut as news stands, which are the primary source of distribution for many magazines, are empty. In a way, the Indian media is responsible for some of the crisis, thanks to the “price wars” of the 1990s that have driven down the subscriber costs of newspapers, making them more dependent on private sector advertising.
Yet, it is not just the print media that is suffering. Layoffs and salary cuts are taking place in television as well. Flawed distribution strategies by channels and policies by the regulator have meant many news channels are free-to-air and, thus, survive on advertisements. With India’s industry shut, that source of revenue has dried up. While people may believe that the web is a land of milk and honey, much advertising revenues are swallowed up by the likes of Facebook and Google and eyeballs are not equal to revenue. Indeed, the high establishment cost of several start-up media sites will ensure that many might not make the cut once COVID-19 is dealt with, leaving a scarred and empty media landscape. Can the Government do much? For one, supporting the media through advertising as well as relaxing the wage board for print will be a start. Despite that, cutbacks will be brutal, many journalists and managers in the media will be out of a job and almost no journalism graduates will be hired for the next year. Our role in the media will be job preservation and creation and for that, the Government has to think out of the box and cut the industry some slack.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
China bank’s stake in HDFC shouldn’t set alarm bells ringing. The Govt must be wary of the Chinese industry
Let us be honest, the collapse in the value of several top-notch companies over the past two months has meant that there are some very good value blue chip stocks available in the market. So, one should see the People’s Bank of China (PBoC)’s acquisition of one per cent stake in the country’s largest private home loan lender, HDFC, as a savvy move. In fact, the PBoC only acquired 0.2 per cent of HDFC this time round, to add to the 0.8 per cent it already held. PBoC, which manages the People’s Republic of China’s sovereign wealth fund, must have felt that the 40 per cent reduction in HDFC’s share price represented good value, just like ordinary punters, who are doubling down on blue chips right now. Shouldn’t India be worried about Chinese investments in Indian companies? Yes it should be but not in this particular case. Because China’s sovereign wealth fund isn’t the single-largest holder of financial assets to own a stake in HDFC. That would be Singapore with 3.3 per cent. In fact, the Abu Dhabi Government and the Norwegian Central bank hold larger stakes in HDFC than China. So China’s extra investment should actually be seen as a vote of confidence in Deepak Parekh, the promoter of HDFC, and in the Indian economy, once we emerge from the Coronavirus episode.
That said, there are some worrying trends about China that Indian policymakers should be wary of. The first is that there is a genuine fear among Indian manufacturers, large and small, that Chinese companies will use their head-start in opening from the lockdown to dump products on them. The Indian economy, particularly small and medium scale manufacturing, may take time, perhaps, till the end of the monsoon, to get back to normalcy. And while countervailing duties are anti-consumer, the Government should look long and hard at imposing such duties if for nothing else to protect manufacturing in the country. Then there is the other issue. Chinese firms have an overweight investment presence in several areas that are strategically important, such as in the financial services space with Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group being the largest shareholder in PayTM. Similarly, in educational technology and several other start-ups, India has allowed wanton investment by China. While Chinese money will bail out the world to a great extent after this incident, India is no exception. We should welcome those investments like the recent one in HDFC. But we have to protect industries and sectors, which are strategically important for India, from undue Chinese influence. This requires strategic thinking as well as an understanding of China, which is buying influence across the world. As the saying goes, there’s no free lunch.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
The race to win the White House this November has come down to two old, White men. Not a perfect match
So Bernie Sander’s second shot at a political revolution was stillborn yet again. Some may blame the Democratic Party’s establishment for sidelining him, others will point to the fact that Sanders was backed by polarising figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, the two rookie members of the US Congress, whose views are considered an anathema to “middle” America, a very important vote-bank which propelled President Donald Trump to power. However, Joe Biden, the winner of the race to stand against Trump, the 45th President of the US, may not be the best candidate. Sure, he will have the backing of former President Barack Obama, the man under whom Biden served as Vice President, and the entire Democratic Party establishment as well as much of the celebrity and media world, who are desperate to see the back of Trump. But say what you will about Trump and the Republican Party, the ground game that “team Trump” has is tremendous as is his ability to focus the media narrative on himself.
The fact is that the longer Trump stays in power, the more focussed his voters become on keeping him there. He is a lightning rod for many media issues and say what you will about his often mindless foreign policy and his verbal gaffes, Trump always has had a point about the duplicitous nature of the Chinese dragon, which is now on full show during the Coronavirus crisis. The fact is also that strangely for a Republican President, he has never had to actually resort to huge acts of American military aggression. Indeed, he has been less trigger happy than his predecessor, the aforementioned Obama. Defeating Trump will take a sharp focus and gritty determination. And Biden, who is actually older than Trump, despite his five decades of public life, might not have what it takes to beat Trump. However, even a day is a long time in politics and the American response to the Coronavirus crisis might help either side much more than they expect. And then there is the American Presidential election system, flawed but fair at the same time, giving some smaller States an outsize responsibility in choosing the winner and discarding larger ones completely. Voting is not at all easy for some minorities across the US; some States have actually made it harder. And if Bernie Sanders supporters or “Bros,” as they were pejoratively known, don’t come to the polls this time as they did in the last election, things will definitely not be all that great for Biden.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- wp:image {"id":23702,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->
<!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
An ill-advised section of Muslims is disregarding precautionary measures against Corona, thus imperiling safety. There’s history but no reason why that view should guide their choice
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Does it seem like a déjà vu? In December 1849, cholera was detected in Beylik of Tunis (now Tunisia). Ahmad I ibn Mustafa (1805-55), a progressive ruler, left the capital city of Tunis terrified. He moved to a gardened villa of the then Prime Minister Mustapha Khaznadar in Carthage along with a personal retinue and armed guards. From his new camp office, he deployed Italian doctors from nizam jadid (new European-style Army of Tunisia) for treatment in temporary hospitals set up in the barracks. Daily statistics of the infection, deaths and recovery were compiled, which along with instructions of hygiene, were printed in Italian and Arabic language. These were distributed in the mosques and churches for the edification of the people.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Then came the inflection point during the Mawlid al-nabi (the Prophet’s Birthday), which fell on January 27, 1850. Ahmad I ibn Mustafa was in dilemma regarding the celebratory congregations and the advisability of his joining them in view of the outbreak. Ultimately, he sent a communiqué, ordering the celebrations to be held as usual and for oil to be sent to the minarets. The event was held; canons fired; and two verses of the Quran were read to “comfort the people in times of difficulty.”
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Within days, the epidemic was raging the Muslim quarters, and before long, the entire city of Tunis was in the grip of cholera. Muhammed Sharif, a notable figure of Tunis, passed away on February 6, which was followed by the death of several of his family members and those who had come in contact with him. This incident has been described by Nancy Elizabeth Gallagher in her insightful book, Medicine and power in Tunisia, 1780-1900 (1983, CUP).
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The worst was yet to come. The epidemic polarised public opinion in Tunis. Many blamed the European doctors, by extension, their line of treatment. Several doctors were abused and manhandled. Ahmad I ibn Mustafa, advised by his personal Italian physician, Abraham Lumbroso, put himself in medical isolation. His extreme measures annoyed some of his Ministers. One day, a Group of Ministers politely told him that precaution by means of quarantine was nowhere to be found in Islam and is an invention of Christendom, whose knowledge of diseases and medicine is inferior to Islam.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The debate over the propriety of quarantine took a theological turn. Prime Minister Khaznadar, a critic of European medicine, condemned the quarantine and declared that Muslims, who died of cholera, were martyrs. Bin Dayaf, Ahmad I ibn Mustafa’s personal secretary, opined that self-preservation by quarantine was legal and no religious text disapproved of it. The two reached out to a certain cleric. Tayyib Al-Riyahi, son and expected successor Ibrahim al-Riyahi, Imam of Great Mosque of Tunis, issued a fatwa that victims of cholera were martyrs by citing the Hadith of Muwatta (the Maliki law book) because they died of internal wounds. Then Khazandar and Bin Dayaf went to Mufti Muhammed bin Salama, who ruled that victims of cholera were not martyrs. At this point, Bin Dayaf ended his discussion by observing that whatever be the reality, even “alims (scholars of Islam) die of cholera.”
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Combating communicable diseases has often been vitiated by theological considerations and confrontations in the past. It took almost four centuries for the Ottoman Empire to have a quarantine policy. Sultan Mahmud II, advised by his Austrian doctor, Anton Lagos, and impressed by the treatise of Hamdan Bin El-Mehrum Osman Hoca, finally adopted quarantine as a measure to combat plague in 1838 even as the disease had bedevilled the Ottoman Empire at least since the mid-15th century. No doubt, had there been men like Idris-i Bitlisi, an Ottoman statesman, and Isameddin Ahmed bin Mustafa Tasköprüzade, a prominent judge way back in the 16th century who advocated a rational approach, there would be precedence. There were prominent medical doctors like Osman bin Suleyman Penah (d.1817) in the reign of Selim III, too. They advocated that quarantine and precautions against plague and epidemic would signify betrayal of Muslim’s trust in divine fate (tevekkul).
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Birsen Bulmus, in his eminently readable, Plague, Quarantines and the Geopolitics of the Ottoman Empire (2012), traces the history of health and medical policies against plague and allied epidemics in the Turkish reign. Bulmus exhibits how it was not only Muslim divines and physicians who doubted quarantines/precautions but in reality, whatever kills a Christian also kills a Muslim. Whatever cures a Hindu, cures a Muslim as well. Physiology is more egalitarian than theology.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The holy city of Mecca was affected by cholera in 1831, which recurred almost annually during the pilgrimage. Its invasion was particularly serious in 1865, when almost a third of the pilgrims reportedly perished. It was the most dominant issue at the International Sanitary Conference at Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1866. A six-member committee, comprising Arabs and Europeans, drew up a report to regulate the maritime traffic for Hajj pilgrimage in 1867.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Thus, if Saudi Arabia has now put Mecca and Medina under lockdown and is contemplating on deferring the annual Hajj scheduled for July 28-August 2 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is only because they know their history better. Mosques are likewise closed to congregations in India. The Ulema has appealed the Muslims to tender namaz at home, including on Friday.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
However, the irresponsible behaviour of a section of the community in India is putting its collective safety against COVID-19 at great risk. The Tablighi Jamat’s grand event at Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid between March 13 and 15 has led to a huge spike in Coronavirus cases. Though there was no lockdown in India at the time of the conference, the Delhi Government had already prohibited all types of gathering above 200 people by then. They continued to hold back more than 2,000 participants in a six-floor dormitory long after the event had ended. The management refused to buckle even after receiving notice from the Delhi Police. It took 36 hours to evacuate 2,361 people from the premises to put them into hospitals and quarantine centres.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The misinformation campaign over Tik Tok, targetting impressionable young boys from the Muslim community to throw caution to the wind, is sinister. Those paying heed to such evil counsel will jeopardise their own health before they risk someone else’s. If Muslims had really been depending upon the divine will for health instead of modern medicine all these years, the hospitals in Delhi would not have a large percentage of them. Nor would the super speciality hospitals in India receive a large number of “medical tourists” from Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, among others. Muslims, like anyone else, wear woollen clothes when it is winter and shed them in springtime. Why pass on all responsibility to Allah in the COVID season?
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
As Ahmad I ibn Mustafa had said in 1850 cholera season, “If divine decree and fate arrive and I die with the disease, I fear I would say, ‘if only I had observed quarantine, this would not have happened’ because of my belief that everything comes from Allah.”
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
(Writer: Priyadarshi Dutta; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:image {"id":23704,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->
<!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Aggressive cluster containment and flushout, be it in UP or Delhi, is the only way to tackle COVID-19
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Cluster containment, sealing, testing and lockdowns are now no longer administrative decisions. Affected people are beginning to internalise these choices as a necessary evil and are rewiring their lives around them. When you read reports of some women in Jammu, wearing plastic gear, completely sealing their locality from outsiders and maintaining vigil themselves, then you know that nobody wants to make a fatal flaw. Yes, the overnight building of invisible walls and the possibility of prolonged house arrest did distress people in hotspot clusters in Uttar Pradesh (UP), particularly Noida, sending them into war-time paranoia of stocking up more than was needed, but two days on, there is a drill. There is an essential service hotline and an app, a dedicated vendor assigned to each sealed area for fruits, vegetables, rations and medicines, and an SMS alert to pick up rations from a neighbourhood or society gate, according to time slots mentioned over such alerts. This means there is no over-crowding. Other than that, every resident is being confined indoors and not allowed to stray into any common space. Masks are mandatory and neighbourhood watchdogs are themselves handing over violators to the police. The Bhilwara model has pretty much become the drill for cluster containment, particularly in UP. In fact, apartment blocks and condominiums in Noida and Greater Noida had already ensured that their inmates with a travel history went into quarantine much before the national lockdown. The jump in the number of the Coronavirus cases is a cause of concern and the State Government is pretty much firm it won’t ease the lockdown till there is no possibility of prospective spread of the disease. Like Delhi, UP’s spike has been fuelled by Tablighi attendees. Nearly 1,600 Tablighi members have so far been identified in the State, of which over 1,200 have been quarantined. The authorities are in the process of tracking down the remaining Tablighi members for screening and quarantining and have even urged them to voluntarily come forward in the interest of their family’s health. No study is required to understand that there is a subterranean trellis of the disease that has quietly spread to communities that regularly engage with each other and form a part of the economic chain of demand and supply. This is why it is a challenge in UP to even get the agricultural chain going, from harvesting to procurement depots. The flight of migrant labourers has caused an acute shortage of farm hands. But if the lockdown is withdrawn prematurely, then it could defeat the purpose of the 21-day brakes and lead to a runaway situation. Also food rations are available now but without containment at this stage, there could be no economic activity going forward with the disease swamp. That could lead to more shortages, crops wasting in the farms and no supplies, sparking off a second humanitarian crisis that nobody wants. No agricultural belt in India can afford a compound crisis at this point.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
However, UP needs to follow up this disciplined confinement with active testing. The State Government is expanding the network of testing facilities to 24 and is upgrading various district hospitals in 14 districts, including Kannauj, Jalaun, Noida, Greater Noida, Ayodhya, Bahraich, Shahjahanpur and Saharanpur, to deal not only with the Coronavirus but any medical emergency of the future. Given its size and population, UP needs aggressive testing in clusters and faster serology tests besides pool tests. Once the trend is clearer district-wise, then it can get the local economy going with agricultural businesses and perhaps industrial production in zero districts. But at this point of time, both UP and Maharashtra, despite having high clusters, have to pretty much just hold fort as the shipments of serological test kits have not arrived in the country yet. Sources say at least five deadlines have been missed. So rapid testing is not possible at the moment and there can only be RT-PCR tests in clusters. Neither can we let precious test kits go waste. Till the data is not clear, only a lockdown at this point can push back a bulge. Wuhan did it for 76 days, in London it has been a month and Odisha has voluntarily shut itself off till April 30. Delhi’s Operation Shield in Dilshad Garden, where every house was screened and isolated, is now virus-free. Without capacity-building, India’s fight against COVID-19 will have to be about choking a silent monster at the earliest than allowing it a crack to slip through.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:image {"id":23686,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->
<!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
With deliveries getting going once again, but now supported by physical stores, is the way India shops going to change?
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
There will be several societal and behavioural changes in the next few years that we will all be able to ascribe to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. A global phenomenon of wearing masks might take off beyond East Asia where it had normalised after the SARS pandemic. Personal hygiene changes will almost certainly become a norm. Everybody will wash hands more often and carrying a small personal hand-sanitiser will become a must. But what about shopping? With major outlets closed, traditional retail has taken a hit across the world, one, which coupled with the rise of online commerce, might make it difficult for the industry to recover. But some of the changes in online commerce, especially in India in Corona times, are noteworthy. One is the support that some online chains, from Amazon to Zomato, are getting from the public authorities in deliveries, especially to quarantined zones. The other major change is the way the delivery services are working. Small kirana outlets are making local area deliveries of bread, milk and eggs as well as fresh produce like fruits and vegetables. While some parts of major cities have decent access to provisions despite the lockdown, the fact that certain hotspots are being sealed as well as the news that the lockdown might continue for several more days mean that such deliveries are becoming even more vital. In times of restricted customer mobility, a smooth functioning of such platforms can help serve high demands. But for that, it is essential for them to remain automated and mechanised, they need to ensure adequate sanitisation of personnel and products and strive to drive innovation in the last mile. These new models, which marketing experts would describe as “competitive collaboration,” might be the way forward for the growth of e-commerce in India. This is because social and physical distancing might also become a norm across huge swathes of the nation.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Of course, it is too early to predict when the nationwide lockdown will be completely lifted; it may be a month before some areas of the country are opened up. It is also impossible to predict which business models will survive the lockdown. Business as usual, as this paper has noted in the past, is over. That is also going to be the case with e-commerce. But will this collaborative model be the best way out of the lockdown rut for e-commerce companies? One will have to wait and watch.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:image {"id":23689,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->
<!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
In its bid to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the Govt overlooked the need to formally integrate domestic violence/abuse into the public health preparedness and emergency response plan
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
In the run-up to the announcement of a nationwide lockdown starting from March 25, there were several areas where the Government failed to craft a strategy to address its possible fallout. One such aspect that was completely ignored was the way to deal with incidents of domestic violence (DV) against women and children in the country during the 21-day shut down. The checks and balances that needed to be in place for victims of DV to resort to in their hour of need were unheeded.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The term “domestic violence” (DV) is used in many countries to refer to intimate partner violence (IPV) but it also encompasses child or elder abuse, or abuse by any member of a household. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in every three women across the globe experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by any perpetrators in their lifetime: At least 30 per cent of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
It has been seen that violence against women tends to increase during every type of emergency, including epidemics. So, not surprisingly it has increased globally during the lockdowns enforced by governments to combat the spread of COVID-19. It is fuelled by social distancing, economic uncertainties and anxieties caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
For instance, countries like China, the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Brazil, Tunisia, France, Australia and many others have reported cases of increased DV/IPV. India is also showing symmetrical trends, especially when it is infamous for being the fourth-worst country (after the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) for gender equality (ranked by perception).
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
According to the Crime in India Report, 2018, published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), every 1.7 minutes a crime was recorded against women in India, every 16 minutes a rape was committed and every 4.4 minutes a child is subjected to domestic violence.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Within a few days of the lockdown, the National Commission for Women (NCW) noted a rise in the number of DV/IPV complaints received via e-mails. The NCW Chairperson believes that the real figure is likely to be more since the bulk of complaints comes from women in the lower strata of society, who send their complaints by post. In March and up to April 5, the NCW received 310 grievances of DV. During this period, a total of 885 complaints were received by the NCW for other forms of violence against women (example: Bigamy/polygamy; denial of maternity benefits to women; dowry deaths; harassment of married women/dowry harassment; outraging the modesty of women/molestation; rape/attempt to rape; right to live with dignity; sexual assault and sexual harassment). Several women’s rights organisations have also been receiving numerous DV complaints since the enforcement of the lockdown.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The number of cases reported might not be proportional to the actual rise in the number of DV/sexual abuse cases. This is because the woman/child locked down with the abuser does not get access to a mobile phone or the space and time, with limited access to financial resources and social networks or even the courage when s/he could call up for help. In other words, all options of escape for the former from their situation of despair are impaired.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Thus, the intensity of the impediments s/he would normally face has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the lockdown.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
While the NCW Chairperson has urged women to contact the police or reach out to State Women’s Commissions if they face DV or their children are being abused, it must be noted that there might be chances where the police are delayed in such rescues. This is because they are already handling challenges of enforcing the lockdown, ensuring delivery of essentials to vulnerable sections and in several places assisting health workers in the discharge of their duties. Further, women have felt additionally unsafe in approaching the police because they think that if their husbands are arrested, they could be harassed by in-laws, or once their husbands return, they or their children would be tortured even more.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
With partners and children potentially trapped at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, the rate and intensity of abuse could get even worse and extend to child abuse. Repeated acts of physical violence, such as slapping, hitting, kicking and beating; sexual violence, including forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion; emotional (psychological) abuse, such as insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation (e.g. destroying things), threats of harm, threats to take away children; controlling behaviour, including isolating a person from family and friends; monitoring their movements; restricting access to financial resources, employment, education or medical care, often result in depression, panic attacks, other anxiety disorders and even suicides.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
It often has lasting impacts on the survivors as research suggests that the memory of abuse persists long after the violence has stopped. This often results in chronic health problems and developing risks of many diseases that arise from prolonged stress.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
In the critical situation of trying to combat a pandemic, an increased number of women/children are faced with the plague of DV within their households. It must not come as a surprise because DV topped in the category of violence against women/girls in 2018. As per the data, a total of 89,097 cases related to crimes against women/girls were registered across India in 2018. The figures indicate that not much has improved when compared to the figure of 86,001 cases registered under this head in 2017. The crime rate per lakh women/girl population was 58.8 in 2018 in comparison to 57.9 in 2017.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16 highlighted that 30 per cent of women/girls in India in the age group of 15-49 experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Among married women experiencing physical, sexual or emotional violence, an alarming 83 per cent claimed that their husbands were the main perpetrators of such forms of abuse, followed by abuse from the mothers (56 per cent), fathers (33 per cent) and siblings of the husbands (27 per cent). The major crimes reported by women in India are — cruelty by husband or relatives (32.6 per cent), assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (25 per cent), kidnapping and abductions (19 per cent) and rape (11.5 per cent).
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
The above crime statistics are unable to capture the data on violence against women in its entirety. This is primarily due to the prevalence of orthodox social norms and the stigma that is placed on survivors of DV/sexual abuse which leads to such cases being grossly underreported. The report also shows that unemployment and alcoholism of the male partner are highly associated with DV/sexual abuse on women/girls.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
In addition to the direct health threat posed by the Coronavirus, the pandemic and restrictions aimed at checking its spread have heightened anxieties, right from apprehensions of catching the disease, to financial worries, to social concerns. There is also a concern that DV/sexual abuse would further increase with job losses and other economic pressures. An added challenge has been the importance of intertwined negative psycho-social impact on mental health of women/girls.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
In the attempt to flatten the COVID-19 curve, women’s equality and physical and mental health seem to have suffered a collateral damage. The Government overlooked the need to formally integrate DV/sexual abuse and mental health repercussions into the public health preparedness and emergency response plans against Coronavirus. In fact, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that seeks to “eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women in the public and private spheres and to undertake reforms to give them the same rights to economic resources and access to property by 2030”, is being enormously compromised.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
Members of the community must be made aware about the increased risks to women’s/girls health and life in the lockdown days. They must develop the ethos to condemn violence and shoulder the responsibility of offering all possible assistance to ensure their safety. In its efforts against COVID-19, the Government must allow civil society organisations, counsellors, mental health organisations and providers to come to the rescue of the women/girls facing DV/sexual abuse. Reaching out to women/girls in distress and the need to address the various forms of violence against them need to be classified as an “essential service” by the Government. Finally, the perpetrators of DV/IPV/sexual abuse must be brought to trial and repeat offenders must be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law.
<!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->
(Writer: Simi Mehta|Balwant Mehta| Arjun Kumar ; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
Despite all the propaganda trotted out by Beijing, some scars may remain for decades, bringing the most drastic changes to China’s image in the world
Moustapha Dahleb, the Chadian doctor and author, gave one of the most touching descriptions of COVID-19, the pandemic that is presently plaguing the earth. In his blog titled, “Humanity Shaken by a Small Thing (Un Petit Machin)”, he argues, “A small microscopic thing called coronavirus is upsetting the planet. Something invisible has come to make its law. It questions everything and upsets the established order. Everything is put back in place, otherwise, differently.”
Among other collaterals, “the Small Thing” has triggered two wars on a scale not seen since World War II and the subsequent Cold War between the Western and Soviet blocks. The first war is against the “Small Thing” itself as to how to stop its worldwide spread and find a vaccine. China and the US, the world’s two super powers, are competing to win the battle. In China, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been working harder than anybody to find a solution. Is it because the PLA was no stranger to the first spread of the virus? It may take years or even decades to know the truth. Meanwhile, as early as January 26, a 54-year-old PLA General, Chen Wei, headed to Wuhan “to fight the epidemic” and take over the civilian Wuhan Institute of Virology (partially funded by France).
Further on March 16, China announced that the lady General had developed a vaccine for the Coronavirus and it had entered the first stage for clinical trials. According to Chinascope, a Chinese website based in the US, it is the first recombinant Coronavirus vaccine (adenovirus vector) approved for clinical trial. Volunteers, organised in three groups with 36 people in each, were given injections; Gen Chen was the first to be injected. The Global Times called Chen “a real pathfinder.” Before taking charge of the Wuhan lab, Chen was associated with the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS).
It was, however, pointed out that it would have taken at least five months to develop the recombinant vaccine approved today by Beijing. Chinascope explained, “The US has also developed a vaccine in a short period but it was based on a different technology (mRNA technology), which could take about 40 days to do. The traditional recombinant vaccine could provide a permanent cure but the mRNA vaccine is like a flu shot that needs to be done every year.” The question, therefore, is, when did the PLA start developing the vaccine to be able to complete the research in five months? Did China know about the “Small Thing” earlier than announced (end of December)? It’s difficult to answer this question but China will probably win the first war.
The second war triggered by the “Small Thing” is to do with information warfare, though this isn’t new. The US website, War on the Rocks, explained, “Several countries are employing disinformation and messaging campaigns around COVID-19 in a branding effort to ensure they are not blamed for the pandemic in the history books.”
For the Communist Party of China (CPC), it is a question of life and death. War of the Rocks asserted: “As the number of COVID-19 cases in China has reportedly declined, Chinese State-run media and diplomats have waged a disinformation campaign against the US in an attempt to distract from Beijing’s mismanagement of the crisis.”
It cites historical examples from the Soviet era, when the same tactics were used, attempting to bring a new narrative: “The origin of the virus is unknown. It could have come from anywhere in the world. China has been a model in handling the sensitive issue. Beijing can now advise the world how to go about it.”
Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, started to use vitriolic Twitter attacks against critics of his country. He alleged that the American military was at the origin of the virus. The argument went so far that China’s Ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, had to contradict his spokesperson. Cui said that it was “crazy” to spread rumors about the Coronavirus originating from a military laboratory in the US.
China may lose the second war. In a few months or years, the “Small Thing” will have eventually dissolved or disappeared (it has already to a great extent in China if one is to believe the Chinese propaganda) but some scars may remain for decades, bringing the most drastic changes to China’s image in the world.
Take Italy, they trusted Chinese President Xi Jinping and agreed to participate in his Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). As a the result, more than three lakh Chinese came to work in Northern Italy, where the tragedy started. Then the case of Holland; the Dutch Health Ministry announced it had recalled 600,000 face masks from China. Ditto was the case for Spain. Its Government encountered similar problems with testing kits ordered from a Chinese company and withdrew a batch of rapid test kits manufactured by China. Turkey and the Czech Republic also announced that they had found some testing kits, ordered from Chinese companies, were not sufficiently accurate.
Examples could be multiplied. China imported about 2.5 billion healthcare items, including visors, masks, gloves and ventilators from Australia between January 24 and February 29, leaving Australian frontline medical staff without protective equipment when the virus struck that country. Masks and other items have to be bought back at often highly inflated prices.
Critics have also accused Beijing of trying to split the European Union (EU) by shipping equipment to certain nations on more favourable terms than others, while leaving the US, the present epicenter of the pandemic, in the lurch. This scar will remain for a long time despite Beijing’s all-out propaganda. Eventually, Xi will have to answer some hard questions from those in Beijing, who were or are in favour of a softer and more human approach to other nations in difficulty.
But the most valuable lesson of the “Small Thing’s” strike is well described by Moustapha Dahleb: “Suddenly the pollution has dropped, people have started having time, so much time that they don’t even know what to do with it. Parents get to know their children, kids learn to stay with their families, work is no longer a priority, travel and leisure are no longer the norm for a successful life. Suddenly, in silence, we turn around in ourselves and understand the value of the words solidarity and vulnerability. Suddenly we realise that we are all on the same boat, rich and poor.”
Let us hope that the “Small Thing” can bring more humanity to this planet despite the high price paid by all nations.
(Writer: Claude Arpi; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
FREE Download
OPINION EXPRESS MAGAZINE
Offer of the Month