-The Indian Express Citizens ordinarily advocating for free markets are now urging the governments to open up its coffers In the years after the Second World War, financial crises were frequent. But the current contagion has thrown many countries off guard. There is little or no experience to guide countries on how to tackle such an epidemic. The only alternative, widely adopted now, has been to suspend business as usual and coerce...

-The Hindu Citizens must keep themselves informed and push the government to adopt scientific and people-oriented policies The lockdown of the country has had a devastating social impact. A recent survey of internal migrant workers found that 42% did not even have a day’s worth of rations left. The situation in the agricultural sector is also grim. Soon after the lockdown commenced, the Prime Minister apologised for the misery that his decision had...

These days a lot many articles, reports, documents, etc. are appearing in the public domain on Coronavirus infection and related issues. An attempt has been made in the present news alert to put together in one place some of the best articles, reports, blogs, webinars, podcasts, etc., which can be useful for our readers. We have divided the resources under various themes for the convenience of our readers and social media...

-Down to Earth Communication between migrant workers, their family members has come to a standstill April 14 usually marks the traditional new year for many communities in India. This year, amid muted celebrations, the Union government launched a system to connect thousands of schools online. This when thousands of migrant workers didn’t have enough money to talk on their phones. Welcome to India’s digital divide — the new, improved post-COVID-19 lockdown version. Amid talks...

-The Telegraph The pandemic has given surveillance tools legitimacy in the eyes of civil society which at other times might have been more concerned about privacy issues Among the “seven” to-dos that Prime Minister Narendra Modi listed for the country on April 13 while announcing the extension of a nationwide lockdown was a call for Citizens to download the ‘Aarogya Setu’ app. It would help “prevent the spread of [the] corona infection,”...