Page 5 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

Cover Story

INSTITUTIONAL

SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY:

A B-SCHOOL'S

RESPONSE AGAINST

COVID-19

T he outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic continues to fourth phase (Lockdown 4.0) on 18th May. The success of

inflict enormous damage to communities and
lockdown in containing the spread of virus is evident from
economies across the globe. Governments,
healthcare workers, public servants, corporate the data available at various platforms which is further
proven especially when the number of infected persons and
and civil society all are trying to contain the spread and find deaths are compared with coronavirus cases and people
a permanent fix for the virus. Thus far, lockdown of cities succumbed to infection respectively in other countries, es-
and in several cases of the entire nations has been the most pecially the developed nations.
common strategy adopted by the governments across the
world to prevent the spread of virus. In India, the nation- However, the lockdown has wreaked havoc on economic
wide lockdown announced on 24 March 2020 entered its growth. With the disruption of economic activities lacs of
people in informal sector have lost their livelihood. Most of
About the author these people are migrant laborers who survive on day-to-
day wages. According to a report by Stranded Workers
Dr. Rishi Kumar Tiwari Action Network (SWAN), 87% of the people walking home
PRO-Indian Library Association are either daily wage labourers or domestic help or driv-
CEO-Bimtech Foundation ers. These daily wage labourers are the ones who have
Sr. Librarian and Proctor- greatly suffered due to sudden enforcement of the
Students Welfare, BIMTECH
lockdown that brought the entire nation to a standstill,
Satender Rana defunct the entire transport system and left them stranded
Sr. Manager in middle of nowhere with no one to ensure their well-be-
Centre for Sustainability and CSR ing and to an extent their very survival. The dysfunctional
at BIMTECH
transport system, unavailability of very means of survival

PR COMMUNICATION AGE January - June 2020 5