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Editorial

COVID-19: CALIBRATED TRADE-OFF NECESSARY citizens for the next 12 months is im-
perative to enable them to recover and
rehabilitate.
lthough the three-week na- and Hong Kong is that the number In the March issue of Educa-
tional lockdown of the Indian of serious hospitalisation cases may tionWorld, your editors presented
Aeconomy ordered by the Cen- overwhelm their health infrastructure. a detailed schema under which by
tral government on March 25 is un- Given that India’s health infrastruc- reducing establishment and defence
doubtedly well intentioned, it is likely ture is many degrees inferior, it’s in- expenditure, slashing non-merit sub-
to prove a good prescription overdose disputable that a national lockdown as sidies and accelerated privatisation
— a cure that’s worse than the disease, ordered by the Central government is of public sector enterprises and also
in the memorable phrasea of US Presi- necessary. However misgivings on the imposing modest cesses on direct tax-
dent Donald Trump. During the past duration of the lockdown and adequa- payers, the Central government can
three months since it claimed its first cy of the official relief package amount mobilise Rs.8 lakh crore for invest-
victim in the Hubei province of China of Rs.1.70 lakh crore announced by ment in public education and health
in January, coronavirus has spread Union finance minister Nirmala Sith- (see https://www.educationworld.in/
across the world with lightning speed araman on March 26, are legitimate. union-budget-2020-21-small-change-
to claim 108,907 lives and infected 1.78 In this connection, it’s important for-human-capital-development/). In
million people in 198 countries (April to appreciate that the socio-econom- light of the Covid-19 black swan na-
12). In India it has claimed 289 lives ic profile of India is vastly different tional emergency, this amount should
and infected an estimated 8,504 citi- from the developed OECD countries instead be urgently distributed among
zens while spreading panic and chaos. and China. Over 90 percent of India’s 150 million (of a total 250 million)
As explained by prime minister 450 million workforce is employed lowest income households country-
Narendra Modi in a nationwide tele- or self-employed in the informal sec- wide by way of direct money transfers
vision broadcast to the citizenry on tor. These citizens subsist on very low into their bank accounts or encashable
March 24, the lockdown is necessary wages and incomes with over 100 RBI cheques. This will provide them a
because the Coronavirus, aka Cov- million of them being migrant labour basic income of Rs.4,444 per month
id-19, is highly contagious, and causes with entire families surviving on their for the next 12 months. In addition
severe respiratory problems with a daily wages. their foodgrains ration quotas under
high likelihood of death, especially in Moreover the size of the average the national public distribution sys-
ailing elderly people. Therefore social ill-equipped Indian home is 504 sq. ft tem should be immediately doubled
distancing, minimising contact with with a third less than 258 sq ft. Forc- — Food Corporation of India has more
strangers, avoiding crowds and work- ing 400 million citizens to suffer loss than adequate stocks rotting in its go-
places — because Covid-19 is initially of employment, daily income and downs. Placing purchasing power into
asymptomatic — can slow down its stay “at home” 24×7 in ill-ventilated the hands of lowest income house-
spread. The pervasive fear in all coun- squalid conditions is impractical and holds for the next year will tide over
tries worldwide, including the US, UK, cruel. Nevertheless a massive income the populace for one year, and sustain
Italy, France, Singapore, Indonesia transfer scheme for over 400 million demand within the economy.

BITTER REVENGE OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM cruel conditions in which animals are
The spread of factory farming and
mass reared in the manner of agricul-
he outbreak of the coronavirus tems and practices of industry being ture produce has inevitably created
aka Covid-19 disease is essen- adopted to incubate, rear and harvest conducive conditions for germination
Ttially the revenge of animal spe- livestock. of powerful bacteria and viruses re-
cies against humankind. As detailed In animal factories, especially in sistant to antibiotics. Moreover with
by Prof. Yuval Noah Harari in his developed OECD countries, millions antibiotics mixed into the animal feed
best-seller book Homo Deus (2017), of cattle, chickens, pigs are reared in to protect livestock bred in dirty and
unspeakable cruelty against nature tiny, standing-room only pens, force high stress environments, traditional
and animals has been committed in fed, artificially inseminated to pro- antibiotics have become less effec-
the process of mankind asserting its duce eggs, calves, chicks and piglets tive for human beings and the SARS,
dominance on Planet Earth. during the entire duration of their MERS, Ebola and Covid-19 epidemics
In particular, during the past half nasty miserable lives before they are have followed in quick succession.
century since invention of factory carved up and served on dining tables. The international panic and na-
farming incentivised by rising stan- With exotic wildlife species such as tional lockdowns in countries around
dards of living in the West which bats, pangolins, snakes and crocodiles the world following the Covid-19 con-
spiked demand for meat and poultry also farmed and harvested in popu- tagion is a sombre warning for hu-
— formerly the privilege of the aristoc- lous, fast-modernising China, it was mankind to restrain its greed, return
racy — from the middle and working only a matter of time before deadly to more frugal lifestyles and relearn to
classes, factory farming of domesticat- pathogens and viruses incubated respect animal rights. Failure to heed
ed animals has become big business within highly stressed factory animals, this warning is to roll out the red car-
with the best mass production sys- entered the human food chain. pet for more global pandemics.

8 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2020