THE SITUATION IS GRIM AND A VIRUS HAS TAKEN US ALL INTO A SITUATION
THAT WE ALL WANT TO GET OUT OF, BUT ARE ANXIOUS, RELUCTANT AND UNABLE TO DO SO.
AS A COUNTRY WE MAY HAVE DONE WELL AS THE WORLD IS PRAISING US, BUT BEING A
COUNTRY OF 130 CRORE PEOPLE WITH VARIOUS CHALLENGES AND UNIQUE IN MANY WAYS,
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN UNIQUE WAYS AND METHODS NEEDED TO BE ADOPTED. NOW THAT
MORE THAN 50 DAYS HAVE PASSED IT IS
APPROPRIATE TO ASSESS WHAT WE HAVE DONE RIGHT AND WHERE WE HAVE GONE WRONG, HOW
IT HAS IMPACTED US AND IN WHAT BETTER WAY WE COULD HAVE FOUGHT IT TO AVOID MANY
CHALLENGES.
FARCE OF SCREENINGS AT THE AIRPORT –
I CALL IT FARCE BECAUSE IT IS A FARCE AS AT MANY AIRPORTS
PEOPLE WERE ASKED TO FILL FORMS ABOUT FROM WHERE THEY ARE COMING AND MERELY
THERE TEMPRATURES WERE CHECKED AND IF ANYBODY DIDN’T HAVE FEVER THEY WERE LEFT
ALONE THERE WAS NO TRACKING OF THEM . MY EX BOSS (IM UNEMPLOYED NOW) CAME FROM
ITALY (MILAN) ON 4TH MARCH VIA DUBAI; HE WAS NOT EVEN SCREENED AT
THE AIRPORT AS HE MUST HAVE MENTIONED COMING FROM DUBAI. WE STOPPED FLIGHTS
FROM CHINA AND ADVISED PEOPLE TRAVELLING TO CHINA BUT THE SCREENING PROCESS WAS
FARCE, MAY WE CAN GIVE BENEFIT OF DOUBT TO GOVERNMENT AS LIKE MANY DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES OUR GOVERNMENT ALSO MAY HAVE DOWNPLAYED THE THREAT INITIALLY, SO
VIRUS WAS LET IN VIA THE TRAVELLERS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD.INSTEAD OF SCREENING
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE ALL COMING IN TO BE TESTED AND RECOVER THE COST OF IT
FROM THEM,AND INSTEAD OF SENDING THEM UNTRACED THEY SHOULD BE ORDEDRED TO HOME
QUARANTINED AND MONITORED STRICTLY.
THE JANTA CURFEW AND PARLIAMENT FUNCTIONING MEANS LOCKDOWN
DELAY –
THERE IS NOT DENYING THIS THAT BY 15TH MARCH MOST
STATES HAVE STARTED TAKING ACTIONS , THOUGH PM REQUESTED TO AVOID GATHERINGS OF
HOLI MILAN ETC. EARLIER AS WELL, IT WAS
A REQUEST ONLY AND NO BAN WAS IMPOSED ON SUCH EVENTS. IN THE PAST WE HAVE SEEN GOVERNMENTS
BAN MANY THINGS WITHOUT THINKING MUCH, BUT A LOT OF DELIBERATIONS WERE MADE
BEFORE THE JANTA CURFEW WAS ANNOUNCED 4 DAYS, IN ADVANCE BY THAT TIME MANY
STATE GOVERNMENTS HAVE TAKEN ACTION LIKE CLOSING UP SCHOOLS , PUBLIC TRANSPORT,
CINEMA HALLS. AND NOBODY CAN DENY THAT FOR MP GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER AND FORMATION
OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT, THE LOCKDOWN WAS DELAYED, IT COULD HAVE STARTED ON THE
SAMEDAY OF JANTA CURFEW, AND INSTEAD ANOTHER FOUR DAYS WERE TAKEN. YES WE
LOCKED DOWN EARLY BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN EARLIER THAN THAT ALSO.
HELPING THOSE WHO DON’T NEED HELP – PM GARIB KALYAN –
LOCKDOWN IMPLEMENTED HENCE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HELP WHO WERE BADLY AFFECTED. IT
IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE MIGRANT WORKER OR DAILY WAGE LABOURER IN A METRO CITY
WILL BE AFFECTED MORE, THAN SAY A DAILY WAGE LABOURER IN RURAL AREA SIMPLY
BECAUSE COST OF LIVING IN A METRO OR URBAN CENTRE IS QUITE HIGH AS COMPARED TO
RURAL AREAS.
LETS SEE DATA AND ANALYSE –
JANDHAN ACCOUNTS ARE MORE OF RURAL PHENOMENON, BELOW IS THE
TABLE OF NO OF JANDHAN ACCOUNTS , RS. 500 WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE WOMEN ACCOUNT
HOLDER WHOSE COUNT GIVEN WAS ROUGHLY 20
CRORES, MOST OF THESE ACCOUNTS ARE RURAL AND ARE OF LITTLE HELP TO URBAN POOR ,
PEOPLE CAN ARGUE THAT THESE CAN BE OF THEIR RELATIVES (MOTHER, WIFE ETC. ), YES
IT CAN SUSTAIN THEM FOR 21 DAYS FOR SURE HENCE THERE WAS NOT MASS EXODUS IN THE
FIRST LOCKDOWN.
|
State
|
Rural / Semi Urban
|
Urban / Metro
|
Total
|
Balance in Crores
|
Avg Bal
|
|
Maharashtra
|
13240259
|
13605663
|
26845922
|
8463.64
|
3152.67
|
|
Bihar
|
28092863
|
16045975
|
44138838
|
13698.95
|
3103.60
|
|
Delhi
|
288895
|
4231379
|
4520274
|
2086.69
|
4616.29
|
(SOURCE-PMJDY WEBSITE)
SAME GOES FOR WIDOW, DIVYANG AND ELDERLY PENSIONS FOR WHICH
RURAL AND URBAN DATA I CANNOT FIND BUT WITH MY KNOWLEDGE I HAVE NOT HEARD IT IN
MUMBAI THOUGH I HAVE HEARD SOME PEOPLE GETTING IN DELHI, BUT THAT ALSO IS
MAINLY IN RURAL AREAS, OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHER STATES. NOW COME TO PF
PAYMENTS, THE CONDITIONS WAS SUCH THAT PF CONTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYEES OF
SALARIES LESSS THAN 15000 WILL BE PAID BY GOVERNMENT, BUT THEY ARE FROM
ORGANISED SECTOR IF THEY HAVE PF ACCOUNTS, THEY CAN SUSTAIN THEMSELVES WITH
THEIR SALARY AS WELL EVEN IF THEY CANNOT GET THAT EXTRA AMOUNT PROVIDED THEY
GET THERE SALARY ONLY, BUT IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL
MANY SUCH PEOPLE HAVE NOT GOT FULL SALARY, SOME ARE PAID HALF AND SOME ARE
UNPAID HENCE THEY WILL BE IN DISTRESS AS THEY DO NOT HAVE STRONG SAVINGS BACK
UP. YES, PF ADVANCE WILL HELP SOME, BUT THAT WILL BE AGAIN FOR ORGANISED
SECTOR,AGAIN IF THEY HAVE PF , THEY DON’T NEED TO TAKE ADVANCE IF THEY ARE PAID
THERE SALARIES, STILL IT HAS SEEN MASS WITHDRAWAL MEANS EMPLOYEES WERE NOT PAID
HENCE THERE WAS A NEED TO WITHDRAW. THE
FOOD DISTRIBUTION IS AGAIN CENTRIC TO RURAL INDIA AS IN METRO CITIES AND URBAN
AREAS FOOD DISTRIBUTION ON RATION CARDS IS ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE,MANY LIVING IN
THESE ARE ON RENT HENCE DON’T HAVE RATION CARDS. BELOW IS THE DATA OF MUMBAI
RATION CARDS, ENTIRE MUMBAI CITY HAS ONLY 12 LAC RATION CARDS, I AM SURE MANY
OF THEM HAVE SHIFTED OUT OF MUMBAI TO VARIOUS PARTS OF MMR AS MANY SRA PROJECTS
ARE CURRENTLY IN OPERATION, THEY HAVE BEEN EITHER LEFT OUT OR HAVE STOPPED
TAKING RATION FROM THESE SHOPS, SO THEY ARE LEFT OUT AND MIGRANT POPULATION IS
LEFT OUT AS WELL. I DON’T HAVE TO SAY ABOUT KISAN SAMMAN BENEFICIARIES THAT
THEY COME FROM RURAL AREAS AS IT IS A WELL KNOWN FACT THAT FARMERS COME FROM
RURAL PARTS.
|
No of ration
Cards
|
Beneficaries
|
District
|
|
160847
|
739140
|
Mumbai
|
|
1046129
|
4735546
|
Mumbai
Suburban
|
|
1206976
|
5474686
|
Total
|
(SOURCE-MAHAFOOD WEBSITE)
SO IN TOTALITY THERE WAS NOTHING THAT CAN SUPPORT THE URBAN
POOR, YES RURAL INDIA GOT BENEFITS BUT YOU SAW EXODUS FROM METRO CITIES MAINLY
AFTER LOCKDOWN 1 SIMPLY BECAUSE-
1)
URBAN POOR DON’T WANT TO STAND IN QUEUS TO GET A
PLATE OF FOOD, HE HAS SOME SELF RESPECT, INSTEAD AFTER EXHAUSTING ALL THAT HE
HAD HE STARTED WALKING TOWARDS RURAL INDIA WHERE HE IS ASSURED THAT HE WILL GET
FOOD, AND IF HE REMAINS HUNGRY HE WILL BE WITH HIS OWN PEOPLE.
2)
IN MANY PLACES FACTORIES/CONTRACTORS INITIALLY
TOOK CARE OF THEIR LABOURS BY FEEDING THEM, BUT AS THE NUMBER OF INFECTIONS
GREW THEY BECAME WORRIED AND POST LOCKDOWN WITH NO FORSEEABLE INCOME MANY HAVE
ABANDONED THEM RESULTING PEOPLE COMING ON ROADS AND STARTING A WALK BACK.
3)
CASES IN METROS, URBAN CITIES HAVE RISEN
DRASTICALLY WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN FEAR CREEPING IN MINDS OF MANY, EVEN THOSE
WHO COULD HAVE AFFORD TO STAY MORE(BIKE OWNERS,CAR OWNERS,TEMPO OR AUTO
DRIVERS) RESORTED TO RETURNING TO RURAL INDIA AS LIVING IN CRAMPED ROOM THEY
FEARED OF GETTING THE VIRUS.
4)
PEOPLE EARNING BETWEEN 15000 TO 30000 PER MONTH
ARE NOW GETTING ANXIOUS, COST OF LIVING WITH RENT, PRICE OF FOOD,
ELECTRICITY,WATER BILLS ETC. IN METROS WITHOUT ANY INCOME IS NOT SUSTAINABLE HENCE WHO CAN GO TOWARDS RURAL
PARTS HAVE STARTED TO MOVE AS WELL.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE
DIFFERENTLY, INSTEAD OF A PACKAGE FOR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, STATES SHOULD HAVE
BEEN EMPOWERED AND TOLD TO REACH THE WORST AFFECTED MIGRANT POPULATION FIRST,
WITH ALL THE MACHINERY THAT IT HAD, EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE THE POOR LIVE IN METRO
OR URBAN CITIES, THOSE AREAS IN ALL SUCH URBAN CENTRES SHOULD HAVE BEEN
TARGETED. INSTEAD OF KISAN SAMMAN, URBAN POOR COULD HAVE HELPED WITH DATA
AVAILABLE ON GAS CONNECTIONS, PEOPLE LIVING ON RENT ALSO HAVE GAS CONNECTION
AND AVAIL SUBSIDY, THERE DATA COULD HAVE BEEN UTILISED TO SUPPORT MANY IN URBAN
AREAS.
INSTEAD OF MAKING DATA OF PEOPLE
WANTING TO RETURN TO THEIR NATIVE PLACES , GOVERNMENTS SHOULD HAVE ASKED OR
COLLATED DATA OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS AND POST VERIFICATION SHOULD
HAVE SUPPORTED THEM THEN THE MASS EXODUS COULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED. THIS NOT ONLY
COULD HAVE REDUCED THEIR PLIGHT BUT ALSO HALTED THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS AS
PEOPLE MIGRTING ARE UNKNOWINGLY TAKING THE VIRUS WITH THEM TO THEIR VILLAGES
AND GOD KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE SPREAD IS IN THE RURAL INDIA.
ALSO A POINT HERE TO ADD THAT MANY
STATE GOVERNMENTS SEE MIGRANTS AS A BURDEN AS THEY FEEL THAT THEY TAKE OUT
RESOURCES FROM THEIR STATE AND TRANSFER IT TO HOME STATE AND STATES LIKE UP AND
BIHAR WHERE PEOPLE RETURN JUST TO CAST THEIR VOTES DURING ELECTIONS THERE HELP
IN BUILDING THAT IMAGE OF THERES IN NATIVE RESIDENTS AND POLITICIANS
IRRESPCTIVE OF THEIR PARTY AFFILIATIONS.
(DISCLAIMER- I VOTED FOR THIS
GOVERNMENT IN BOTH 2014 AND 2019 ELECTIONS, AND EVEN IN MAHARASHTRA VOTED FOR
THE SAME PARTY WHICH WAS IN POWER SO I AM NOT A LIBERAL OF ANTI INDIA BUT I AM
NOT A BHAKT AS WELL.)
