- Unprecedented, unfathomable, unheard-of, and of course, unquestioningly shocking year will sufficiently surmise describing 2020. Counted among those worst hit by the COVID pandemic, though fatality and confirmed infection rates as compared to the density of population is still considered well within manageable limits, the nation has overcome a trying year that placed individual resilience and state capacity to the extreme test. Touted as the year of the big state, but what unfolded vis-à-vis awesome power often manifested in the wrong areas as can be seen even now.
PC: talharashid
- Both the Union and State Government’s were slow to start after the first reported case in January. To compensate for the familiar late awakening, the Union Government imposed a national lockdown on 1.3 billion people giving just four hours of notice to unprepared states as well as citizens who were shellshocked to either react or respond as uncertainty ruled the roost for days on. Branded as one of the most stringent lockdowns, the imposition not only left the rudderless migrant workers at their perils but also clamped down on most of the economic activities leaving the country reeling under the debilitating impact.
- Can anybody ever forget the heart-breaking scenes of migrants walking along highways with their spare possessions, some with families, too? Yes, we have heard, seen on the screen, and read about Partition’s horrors but witnessing the distressing sight of migrants trudging along will forever remain etched in our memories. Make no mistake, New Delhi lost sight of ground realities before considering the imposition of lockdown. As the Indian economy took an enormous hit for those few weeks, successive rounds of unlocking without getting the requisite stimulus to cushion the blow added to the mounting misery.
PC: juanecon
- Rather than help scaling up economic activities and providing much-needed succor to the beaten to death people, we see few states focusing on irrelevant interfaith relationships, religious conversions, and beef-eating taking precedence over material welfare and rule of law. Democratic running of the country can do without the strong state facilitating police overreach and social strife playing out at the instance of overzealous administrators. Yes, the pandemic did bring to the light our dilapidated state of public health infrastructure, and despite the challenges, India was served well while undertaking COVID surveillance to one million tests a day as also bolstering ICU bed capacity after citizens rising huge hue and cry.
- The virus has taught us not to neglect public health as the next contagion could be lurking nearby and hence, the state must expend more percentage of GDP on sprucing up the infrastructure. The silver lining in the form of the vaccine is almost on the horizon and the state has an opportunity to show its enabling side during the ensuing mass vaccination drive. Needless to mention, economic revival urgently demands a state-driven boost in infrastructure spending which continues to be treated modestly.
PC: PRAMIT CHATTERJEE
- Polarization makes cooperation difficult and the only way to get over the imbroglio – past ones like demonetization, CAA/NRC, and now Agri Laws – could have been averted by resorting to consultations as well as taking opposition parties into confidence before implementing the same. The Union Government appears isolated as farmers agitating against the Agri Laws are holding ground showing its limits in a democratic setup. Therefore, the Union Government should seek a more consistent and consultative route to economic reforms, as well as to governance issues. Can the country expect a welcome change in the year 2021? Hopefully so!
