Let’s think about the poorest sections of the society in the fight against Covid-19.
Ashutosh Mehrotra
ISB PGP Co’24 (Dean’s and Merit List) | BIT-M Co’20 | Changing the Education sector | GMAT Guide | Golfer
Great steps have been taken. Appropriately GoI just announced, without losing precious time, a relief package of Rs. 1.7 crore to help daily wage workers, poor people, farmers, poor households, and the most vulnerable class. Undoubtedly, the country-wide lockdown from Tuesday for three weeks is an unprecedented step, but there is no other option to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Yes, it will indeed be a step towards preventing us from entering Stage-3. But, there are certain challenges too. Some of them have been mitigated through the relief package just announced. In public policy, it is evident that there is always a time gap between announcement and delivery of services. In this unprecedented moment of crisis, I firmly believe that this time lag will be minimum and all the governments, be it central, state or local, and NGOs will be striving to reduce this time lag.
The package provides for food security, fuel, cash, and coverage of health workers. The government is also proactively trying to feed the vulnerable classes who are daily wagers and the poorest of the poor in the towns and villages who do not have sufficient cash balance for even next couple of days. Most of them have lost their livelihoods and source of incomes, and are moving towards their villages without proper transport and fooding specially for infants and children.
In this background and the crisis we are facing, I think the most important thing the government should do is ,in the first place and for at least a week, they should start community kitchens in each and every ward, rural and urban both, to feed these daily wage vulnerable sections. This will help them survive till the relief package is delivered to them. Proper social distancing should be followed in these kitchens, helping contain the spread of Covid-19.