-The Telegraph As the virus spreads and cases mount, the supply chain involving agricultural inputs, production, transportation and shipping will be disrupted Thirty per cent of India’s lowest income class, already undernourished, could be hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, going by the analysis of an official report and a warning from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. What might further aggravate the situation for the country’s working class, experts and...

-Down to Earth The workers reportedly began their journey on March 23, 2020, with some accompanied by their wives, children   Thousands of migrant workers in Gujarat are undertaking long journeys to their native villages on foot. The workers, mostly tribals, travelled upwards of 250 kilometres, in the absence of public transport. Migrant workers are forced to take this step after the Union Government initiated a janata (people’s) curfew and subsequently, a 21-day...

-The Indian Express In a slew of extraordinary measures, authorities announced a complete lockdown of 75 districts in 22 States and Union Territories and suspended all passenger trains, inter-state buses and metro services across the country till March 31. As the Janata Curfew called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi wound up Sunday with people across the country responding by staying indoors and applauding those working to battle the coronavirus threat, the government...

-The Hindu The Kerala government has been successful in putting the public health sector back on the rails Every year after the Union Budget, newspapers carry articles critiquing the abysmal allocation for the health sector. As the COVID-19 threat looms, doctors, healthcare professionals and state institutions have been regularly issuing guidelines on the precautions to be taken. However, the ubiquitous fault lines of India’s public healthcare infrastructure are being laid bare as...

-Scroll.in Healthcare is a public good and the government’s job. It cannot be left to the whims of the private sector. The news of coronavirus has been on all our minds since Narendra Modi’s televised address on Thursday. The janata curfew or people’s curfew that he suggested for Sunday was near-total through India, and at 5 pm, many came out to beat thalis and clap their hands to express gratitude to doctors...