Round The
World
New
Delhi, 27 March 2020
Global Response To Pandemic
IS INDIA DOING ENOUGH?
By Dr D.K. Giri
(Prof. International Politics, JMI)
The whole world is
gripped with the novel Coronavirus and countries are battling in their
respective ways. China, where it originated, and Italy have been the two worst
affected. The affect of this vicious virus is so dreadful, so devastating that
it beggars any estimation or prediction. In addition to the health hazards, the
economic fallout is equally alarming. Besides, its immediate and long term
effect on the GDP, poor people in many countries, including India, who survive
on their daily earnings, will simply perish without support.
The health care
systems and welfare provisions in many countries are non-existent, some basic
facilities that exist in some middle level countries are unable to cope with
such a gigantic challenge. This is the time, in each country, the tenacity of
the people and creativity and generosity of their leaders will come into play.
We have discussed in this column in foregoing two weeks, the origin, the
spread, and the theories around this disease, we now somewhat evaluate the efficiency
and sagacity of the leadership in several countries.
In the pecking order,
it has to be China where the virus sprang up from wherever the world is yet to
learn. Donald Trump has already said that China is making bio-weapons; the
virus could be a deliberate creation or an accidental bi-product of the
bio-weaponisation process. There are evidences, direct or indirect, to show
that China may be doing so. One of them is a book written in 1999 by two
colonels in the People’s Liberation Army, Qial Liang and Wang Xiangsui. The
focus in the book is on how China can defeat a technologically superior country
like United Sates of America.
The book written by
two military strategists talk about non-military means to defeat USA. It is
being interpreted that the virus was created. The theory goes like this: “Create a virus and the antidote; spread the virus; cause
chaos in the world, starting with Europe; quickly control the epidemic in your
country; after all, you were already prepared; get back to producing quickly
while the world is at a standstill. Buy what you negotiated cheaply in the
crisis and sell more expensive what is lacking in countries that have paralyzed
their industries.”
The
observers ask: “How come Russia & North Korea are free of COVID- 19? Is it
because they are staunch allies of China? Not many deaths are reported from
these two countries. On the other hand South Korea, United Kingdom, Italy,
Spain and Asia are severely hit. How come Wuhan is suddenly free from the
deadly virus? Why Beijing was not hit? Why only Wuhan? Wuhan is open for
business now.”
To be
sure, the world will come to know of the veracity of such interpretations
sooner than later. China has, however, controlled the virus faster than it was
anticipated. It could be the “Chinese efficiency” in doing things. But why do
not they share the mechanisms of combating and containing the virus? We know
how South Korea did it and there are essentially three lessons to learn from its
experience: One, intervene fast before it becomes a crisis. Second, test early,
South Koreans say, “the early test was the key behind out low fatality rate”.
Lesson three is to do ‘contact tracing, isolation and surveillance’.
The
response of Canada and the US to mitigate the miseries of the people during
this horrid situation is exemplary. Canadian government has announced an $82
billion financial aid package in form of direct payouts, tax deferrals and
general economic stimulus. Specifically, the Canadian government would deposit
money in the accounts of the unemployed, subsidise wages of the employees of
the small businesses, help the middle class to restructure their loan accounts,
provide financial and other support to the families of the Corona-dead to tide
over the immediate crisis.
The US
is on a war footing to fight the deadly virus. It has announced three financial
packages to tide over the crisis. The first was of $8.3 billion to invent a
vaccine. The second was for financial assistance to Americans with cash
payments of $1200 to most individuals, $2,400 for married
couples and $500 per child adults. The unemployment
insurance was increased. The social security safety net will cover individuals
earning less than $75000 and the couples below $150,000. The third package is
an economic stimulus of $2 trillion, the largest in the history of America.
This is to deal with the economic fallout of the virus. This is meant to help
individuals, businesses and hospitals.
Back
home, we have a Prime Minister who is quite controversial, he has die-hard supporters
and bitter critics. He has come twice on national television to give messages,
like a supreme leader does. He does not believe in press conferences where
media personnel could ask him questions and point out the gaps in policies and
management of the crisis etc. It is another matter that our media is strangely
and largely servile. But a few of those who are intrepid men and women could
raise pertinent questions.
To be
non-partisan, Modi spoke twice for roughly 30 minutes each. Once for people’s
curfew for 14 hours on 22nd and then on last Tuesday, he announced a
lockdown of the country for 21 days. He also announced a fund of Rs 15000 crore
to shore up the hospital facilities to deal with the crisis. He talked of
social distancing as the only way to control and defeat the disease. It was
refreshing to see him not indulging in any party politics like Opposition-bashing.
As usual, he was persuasive and impressive.
But on
deeper analysis, did the PM say enough to fight off this virus? Is he not
placing the burden on the shoulders of citizens alone to combat the pandemic?
Is our government working out any stimulus plans to come to the rescue of the
130 crore beleaguered Indians? The PM said,” If we do not prepare we will let
people die like those in Spain and Italy”.
What
are our preparations? The 21-day lockdown feels like a repeat of the sudden
announcement of ill-thought out and unplanned demonetisation in November 2016
that dealt a crippling blow to our economy. People are yet to recover from it.
How will poor people who work every day to earn their livelihood survive for 21
days? Did the PM extend the social security umbrella to millions of daily
wagers? Clearly, the stimulus to the hospital is not enough to scale up the
health care system just as Japan, South Korea and Germany did. India as such
spends 3.6 per cent of its GDP on health, much below the world average at 10
per cent.
There
are immediate challenges to face. Social distancing alone will not help and it
is not easy in the second most populous country in the world where 455 people
live in one square km, compared to 148 in China and 60 people as world average.
So far, only 15000 people have been tested, but more testing needs to be done.
The ICMR chief says we can test between 60 to 70 thousand people a week,
whereas UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scaling up testing up to 25000 a
day.
Our
Prime Minister makes bold announcements, hallmark of a decisive leader. How we
wish, he backs them up by tangible, urgent and necessary actions! ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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