Lesson on self-reliance to a beached whale

In school, my English teacher taught me a lesson on the use of “ought to’ and “should’. I reminded those school days while listening to the address of our PM to the  Nation. However he addressed in Hindi, so the curiosity was left unquenched, whether teaching us a lesson on Self-reliance and sources of happiness, what modal auxiliary, he could have used. He asserted that the meaning of self-reliance is changing and he exemplified his self-reliance by relying on his FM to share the details of Self Reliance Campaign Package. Coping with the tradition of the launching ceremonies of popular software versions, he too, told us that this version 4.0 will be of a novel kind.

He mourned on the sufferings of the migrant workers and daily wagers, but also held the enormity of the crisis responsible for that. However, he appreciated the strength of our workers but didn’t clarify which strength and determination he is talking about,
whether he was applauding their strength, to walk hundreds of Miles barefoot, under the scorching sun or he got impressed with their determination of reaching home, facing brutal baton charges and showers of disinfectants.  Hon’ble PM also laid emphasis on Indian ethos of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam and relied on the capability of the Nation to contribute in the welfare of the whole world,
citing examples of the ODF campaign, TB and Polio eradication and HCQS supply.

Undoubtedly our PM is emerging as a global leader and it became apparent, when he cited the global figure of Covid-19 deaths but didn’t find the figure of Covid-19 deaths in India handy to mention. His good self also mentioned that 21st century will be dominated by India but didn’t clarify the areas in which he plans India to scintillate.
Self-reliance was the main theme of his address and I think, in this way, he tried to admit the letting down of the lockdown. An abrupt and sudden declaration of the lockdown,  without proactive planning, resulted in the manifestation of numerous problems and the number of latent issues. Had it been implemented with consideration of practical issues, it would have been a successful endeavor. The consequences of the lockdown proved to be so chaotic that a huge pressure started to build upon the government, which resulted in wrong moves. The strategy of declaring a Total-Lockdown was a subtle move, but the way it was executed, was not apt in Indian conditions.

On 24th March, there were around 500 Covid cases in India and within 75 days, it has multiplied 500 times reaching a quarter-million and crowning India at the 6th rank among the worst-hit nations.

What Went Wrong?

Theoretically, the movements were totally prohibited but the ground reality is quite different. The reverse migration of the workers remained in continuum. Neither the  Central government nor the States have any SOP for them. As per the MHA mandate, the
state borders were to be kept sealed, but the sealing was only a conspicuous exercise.

Moreover, there were many alternate pathways to cross borders. Actually, everyone was aware of it too, but in a country driven by the politics of Caste and Creed, No one dared to handle the situation as per Law. They talked a lot, declared many schemes, announced numerous plans, urged several ways, but did nothing. Initially, tried to pass the buck,  later denied everything. Everyone was in a hurry to proclaim oneself the Messiah of the affected, as 7 to 8 million is a great number of Votes.

Consequently, the Central Government was compelled to run Shramik Special trains and  many states arranged road transport for the stranded. As per MHA report, around 8  million workers have been transported to their home. Despite the fact that a huge number of workers were moving out from the worst-hit metros and biggest hotspots, transportation was done with no obedience to the protocol. The States also were not able to handle such huge hordes of people and thus the protocols of screening, health checkup and quarantine were done just to complete the formalities. People were kept quarantine,  in records, only and they were compelled to go their houses as most of the Institutional  Quarantine Facilities were equipped with nothing more than walls and roof.

All such blunders paved the way for a situation beyond control. Now, about 90% of the districts have Covid- 19 cases and are increasing at a moderate pace. Most of the cases in the unaffected districts are being reported from small villages and remote areas. In almost all the infected cases, the patient zero is a migrant. I would like to cite the example of few districts in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh viz Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, and Damoh where the infection broke in with the migrants- many of them who made a stealth entry in the districts and many of them who took the advantage of the complacency of the local administration. It is surprising that the first Covid -19 case of Chhatarpur district is a person who was a Covid-19 suspect in Delhi, where his sample was also taken. He managed his escape from the Isolation Ward of a hospital in New Delhi to Chhatarpur officially and was not intercepted or enquired anywhere. He was traced only through Arogya Setu App, otherwise, the local administration didn’t have any clue about him.

The complacency, leniency, and ignorance of Local Administration is also a major factor behind the failure of the Lockdown. The administration is greatly responsible for the emergence of Covid-19 cases. The sealed district borders, health screening, quarantine facilities and record-keeping of check-ins are being done for namesake. The reality goes very stark. They are rather busy in issuing lockdown mandates every alternate day, always with some change in protocols, or issuing a daily report of Covid-19 cases, or enforcing a shut down of small shops, or forfeiting vegetables from the street vendors or making challans for not wearing masks, or spoiling resources by spraying disinfectants on roads, trees, and buildings.

Under these circumstances, an unprecedented outbreak seems approaching and this time the epicenters will be hamlet’s, villages, and small towns. This appears inevitable as the lockdown-ridden population has been fed up with daily changing restrictive provisions and are on the verge of financial disaster. Now, only God or a Vaccine may save us.