India will overcome Covid-19, but will need a ‘New Deal’ | Opinion - Hindustan Times
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India will overcome Covid-19, but will need a ‘New Deal’ | Opinion

New Delhi | ByVS Pandey
Apr 17, 2020 08:05 AM IST

After extending the lockdown until 3 May, the government has decided to gradually open up some areas after 20 April, with an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts.

After extending the lockdown until 3 May, the government has decided to gradually open up some areas after 20 April, with an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts. This step has been welcomed by not only all the major political parties but also by the business community at large. As the rabi harvesting season is at its peak, the government needed to commence the foodgrain procurement operations without any further delay so that no hardship is caused to farmers who are hoping to harvest a bumper rabi crop.

Health department staff in Personal Petective Equipment (PPE) suits collect data from a coronavirus hotspot during lockdown in India.(Photo: Samir Jana/Hindustan Times)
Health department staff in Personal Petective Equipment (PPE) suits collect data from a coronavirus hotspot during lockdown in India.(Photo: Samir Jana/Hindustan Times)

Opening of agriculture produce marketing mandis, permitting trading in food grain and their transportation to warehouses and godowns of the Food Corporation of India had become imperative to enable the farmers to sell their surplus produce at the support prices fixed by the government. This will, to some extent, absorb the rural labourers and also provide them means of livelihood.

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Similarly, the removal of restrictions on the industries located in rural areas, unhindered movement of trucks and allowing the roadside eating joints to operate will certainly help absorb a huge number of workers. Likewise, letting a select group of industries open up will help augment the supply chain. In the coming weeks, based on the spread of the coronavirus disease, the government is likely to ease the restrictions further to bring the economy back on rails.

Another important area that must be uppermost in the minds of decision makers is the critical education sector. Due to this virus, most of the state governments ordered the closure of all the schools, colleges, universities in the second week of March. As things stand, there is absolutely no possibility of reopening them over the next few months. Fortunately, almost all the state governments had allowed the board examinations to be completed so there is nothing to worry about on that account. The state governments and respective state boards and the CBSE have already taken the decision to promote all the 9th and 11th grade students. That was a wise decision in the interest of students.

It seems the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) could not complete the examination process and still has to conduct tests in a few subjects. This can be accomplished in a short span of time when the situation normalises. Naturally, universities across the country have to go through the examination process too - which as per present indications - cannot begin before the end of May. So, the most-likely scenario appears to be that the university exams can only be conducted in the month of July.

We, as a nation, have the experience to handle these kinds of unforeseen situations in the past. The early seventies were the JP movement days when strikes in colleges and universities were the norm. During those years, our universities used to normally remain closed for two to three months in a year and students used to protest against the annual examinations scheduled for April-May. As a result, the university used to hold the exams in July. Consequently, the academic session used to get delayed by a couple of months.

To the credit of the teaching community back then, we never suffered academically in any way.

The time has come for our teaching community to rise to the occasion and handle the situation to the best of their ability, which they undoubtedly have in abundance. Any talk of holding the exam online, or suggesting such innovations to the detriment of the student community, should not be deliberated. Let us wait and watch as things unfold and plan to schedule the examinations in the month of July. The university admissions process should be accordingly planned in the best interest of students.

Similarly, several entrance examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination had to be postponed. Now, there is a possibility that the prestigious Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission will also have to be rescheduled. These examinations have, for one reason or the other, been postponed several times in the past and there is no need to worry on that account. We, as a country, have the experience to deal with these minor hiccups once in a while.

During the 1930’s, the United States of America went through the “Great Depression”, their economy was shattered, millions lost their jobs, poverty levels skyrocketed and businesses and banks went bankrupt. Franklin D Roosevelt became the President in 1933. He came out with a nation-building programme called the “New Deal” and built thousands of hospitals, schools, parks, roads, bridges and the famous social security scheme. The USA, as a country, changed transformationally. India has been waiting for decades for its own “New Deal”. The coronavirus has created India’s “Great Depression”; the government has to respond with its “Deal”.

(VS Pandey is a former IAS officer. He retired as secretary, department of fertilisers in the Government of India)

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