-The Hindu As and when India emerges on the other side of the pandemic, bolstering public care systems has to be the top priority As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ravages India, many bitter home truths and fault lines have been starkly exposed. One of these is the abysmally poor state of the country’s health infrastructure. World Bank data reveal that India had 85.7 physicians per 1,00,000 people in 2017...
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The outdated nature of bureaucracy -Zubair Nazeer
-The Hindu The public sector, private players and civil society should all work together for public service delivery COVID-19 has tested the resilience of all public institutions. Despite its efforts, bureaucracy has emerged as a major concern for the ineffective response to the COVID-19 crisis. This inadequacy is the reflection of the outdated nature of public bureaucracy. In the 21st century, democratic countries are still relying on traditional bureaucracies to perform public policy...
More »Pandemic second wave deepens into unprecedented crisis -TK Rajalakshmi
-Frontline.in The government has few constructive leads to offer as the second wave of the pandemic develops into a crisis of an unprecedented scale. The massive wave of COVID-19 infections engulfing the country is testimony to the Central government’s total ineptness in handling the crisis. In April, nearly 42,000 deaths were officially recorded as having been caused by COVID-19. In less than a month, the count went up by more than 20 per...
More »Delhi High Court quashes GST on oxygen concentrators -Vikas Dhoot
-The Hindu “This is a George Floyd moment for India’s citizens, with the refrain – I can’t breathe," the court says. The Delhi High Court on Friday held the Government’s imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on oxygen concentrators imported for personal use as ‘unconstitutional’ and said oxygen concentrators constitute a life-saving device during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a George Floyd moment for the citizens of this country. The refrain is...
More »Death, Disbelief & An Odd Resistance In UP’s Rural Hinterland -Pooja Pande/ Khabar Lahariya
-Article-14.com Scepticism about Covid-19. Lack of smartphones, health information and healthcare. Resistance to vaccination. We found a perfect storm devastating the poor, southwestern interiors of India’s most-populous state. Banda (Uttar Pradesh): “At least one person in every household here is extremely unwell.” Shivdevi, who uses only one name, has over a decade’s professional experience as a journalist and has been reporting from rural Bundelkhand in southwestern Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the women-run, grassroots...
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