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The Covid-19-induced lockdown has resulted in a loss of jobs at home, but this is also set to reduce the number of Nepalis going abroad for work, which experts say could hit the countrys economy hard, as it will massively curtail remittance inflows.

There has been a huge slump in the number of work permits issued by the government to individuals seeking to go abroad for employment.

During the 2019/20 fiscal year that ended on Wednesday, the number of permits issued saw a drop of 27.5 percent, compared to the previous fiscal (2018/19), according to the statistics maintained by the Department of Foreign Employment.

If we didnt have the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions, the number wouldnt have dropped so much even as that had been declining, said Swarna Kumar Jha, a labour migration researcher.

A total of 368,433 labour permits were issued to aspiring migrant workers during 2019/2020, compared to 508,828 during the previous fiscal (2018/19), according to the Department of Foreign Employment.

Labour migration observers say that the main reason behind the slump is the government decision to suspend permits issuance.

Following the Covid-19 terror, the government stopped sending migrant workers abroad, said Jha. This resulted in the drop.

Following the spread of the coronavirus in labour destination countries, particularly in the Persian Gulf, Malaysia and South Korea, most of the countries enforced restrictions on international flights. Later, the Nepal government also suspended issuing labour permits to migrant workers, bringing the countrys foreign employment departures to a halt.

Rameshwar Nepal, a labour migration researcher, said the impact of Covid-19 on the countrys foreign employment sector was visible weeks before the government stopped issuing permits.

The drop in labour permits doesnt surprise me. Even before the Nepal government prevented Nepali workers from leaving, there were fears among aspiring workers who were reluctant to leave due to the crisis, said Nepal, who is also the South Asia director at Equidem Research, a UK-based human rights research organisation.

The movement of migrant workers had been declining since February. This was expected in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Covid-19 has prompted a decline in employment opportunities for Nepali migrant workers abroad, experts say.

The number of permits issued has been on the decline for the last three years now as major labour destinations endure financial and political turmoil and some countries try to diversify their pool of workers. Countries such as Saudi Arabia have even adopted a policy of reserving jobs for their own citizens.

With the global economic slowdown impacting the labour migration sector, a drop in the money remitted by Nepalis working abroad is imminent. As per the World Bank estimates, the country is likely to suffer a loss of Rs145 billion in remittance this year.

Although there were fears of a massive downfall in remittances because of the pandemic, it is unlikely to be as worse as per the initial projections. But if there is a decline in the number of Nepalis going abroad to work, there will be a reduction in remittance inflows.

The Nepal Rastra Bank had projected a drop of over 15 percent in remittances in the current fiscal year and the Central Bureau of Statistics also projected a reduction of Rs163 billion or over 18 percent of the total remittance sent by Nepalis working on foreign soil the previous year. Last fiscal year, the country received a total of Rs879 billion sent home by Nepalis working abroad.

According to the central bank, the country received remittances amounting to Rs34.5 billion in Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), compared to Rs71 billion in the same month in the previous fiscal year. The figure improved to Rs53.9 billion from mid-April to mid-May, and according to preliminary figures from the central bank, remittances from mid-May to mid-June grew to Rs62 billion.

Despite the changing policies of labour destination countries, Nepalis are likely to continue getting work opportunities, but in lesser numbers than in the past, say experts. That too will be contingent on how and when the economies recover from the shocks of Covid-19, according to them.

After every crisis, the economy crashes and then as time goes by, it is revived, said Nepal. When the economies rebound at a certain point, there will be employment opportunities again. But we do not know when it will happen. Some labour destination countries have reopened, but we are still in a wait-and-watch situation.

According to Jha, the reopening of labour markets might take some time as fear of contagion is high and measures such as physical distancing need to be followed everywhere, starting from the airport.

Labour migration experts, however, blame the Nepal government for failing to prepare in advance to cope with extraordinary crises even when the economy relies heavily on remittances sent by migrant workers.

The government has failed to take action over the long-debated issue of diversifying Nepals labour market beyond the Persian Gulf and Malaysia.

Like in the past, Nepalis have continued migrating to the same countries for work. Last fiscal year, the departures numbered 93,424 to the United Arab Emirates, followed by Saudi Arabia (83,163), Qatar (81,567), Malaysia (59,714) and Kuwait (16,862).

Experts have long argued that such a high concentration results in a host of risks for workers as well as the countrys economy.

Our government is not adequately prepared to seek alternative labour markets, said Nepal.

According to Jha, the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and governments inaction have had a multiplied effect on the countrys foreign employment sector, which already dealt with several challenges.

We know that the country receives remittances equivalent to over 25 percent of the countrys gross domestic product, and currently there is no substitute for it, said Jha, who also coordinates the National Network for Safe Migration, an organisation working in the field of labour migration and migrants rights.

The government has been coming up with policies to absorb migrant workers inside the country. However, we know they will not come into force immediately.

As the countrys large chunk of the labour force, which migrates abroad for employment, remains unskilled, mostly working for the construction sector and factories, it also makes it difficult to mobilise them once they return home.

Also, for several years, we sent unskilled workers abroad. Only if we had trained them before sending out, reintegrating them and providing them with jobs would have been much easier, said Jha.

The Nepal government has announced an ambitious plan to create nearly 700,000 jobs, mostly targeting returnee migrant workers.

But that wont be enough, according to researcher Nepal, as every year nearly 500,000 people enter the labour market.

Not having prepared in advance to create jobs for critical times like these impacts the most vulnerable, who are likely to suffer more, said Nepal. These migrant workers and their dependent families will face another pandemic.

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Covid-19 results in massive decline in labour migration numbers, with no immediate hopes of recovery - The Kathmandu Post

As Europe closed borders and suspended flights in early March to combat the spread of COVID-19, undocumented migrants and migrant workers remained for two months, many without living spaces or sources of income after the shutdown, leaving some to take shelter in gyms or out on the streets, some even attempting to as a last resort.

With most countries closing borders and issuing some form of stay-at-home orders, safety and services dedicated to asylum seekers and refugees has dramatically decreased. The result is a large number of migrants in Morocco and around the world facing dangerous health situations and increased economic insecurity.

Migrants in Morocco, even those with proper documentation, cannot reap the benefits of accessible state aid. For many, income and livelihood depend on mobility. The majority of migrants work in informal jobs (street vendors and uncontracted work such as cleaners), which . With closures many have no source of income and cannot qualify for any financial support by the government.

Without a source of income, some , and others skip meals. In the current situation, asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants are more vulnerable to permanent job loss and deportation as movement is restricted.

What does this mean for the future?

Stigmatization, misinformation, and discrimination have led to further restrictions for migrants. False claims and reports that migrants carry the virus and spread it throughout communities. In Lebanon, Syrian refugees are targeted with curfews that do not apply to other foreigners or citizens despite the low number of of COVID-19 among Syrian refugees (only 1.3 percent).

New restrictions on migration suggest longer-term impacts on mobility and an increase in social exclusion, leading to issues like discrimination and even global divides as production shifts locally and economic isolation grows.

Limited mobility increases dangerous and illegal migration, forcing more to turn to smugglers, increasing vulnerability to human trafficking and abuses in the exploitation of peoples desperation. This includes further potential restrictions to migrant workers and migrants seeking refuge in third countries, like Spain or Italy.

Migration in a Moroccan Context

Traditionally an emigration country, Morocco has quickly become the safer migration route into Europe, with land access to the border in the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. Although the number of illegal border crossings into Spain has halved since 2018, the entering into mainland Spain last year came from Morocco.

Morocco has begun to dramatically reduce the number of illegal border crossings into Europe, but once caught, migrants can end up in a deportation loop. Arriving at the Spanish border, they are arrested and bused back to Southern Moroccan cities far from smugglers who could offer them passage. As authorities continue to restrict movement, migrants and smugglers are pushed to seek out new routes, such as by sea, which is often more dangerous.

Since 2014 the Moroccan government has run , giving residency permits to 50,000 migrants within the country. However, the UNHCR reports that gaps in accessing documentation and employment persist.

With tighter migration restrictions on popular destination points, such as Spain, France, and Italy, Morocco could see larger populations of migrant workers stuck indefinitely in migration centers such as Rabat.

What will come next?

Organizations like the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) offer some solutions. Beginning in 2020, law school students at the University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in partnership with HAF will provide to migrants in the Fez region, in particular victims of trafficking, young people, and women.

Fez is estimated to house of migrants, many of which come from Sub-Saharan regions of Africa and live within the new districts of the city. These districts are often modest or poor, and with limited legal access, migrants have trouble finding work. In a study of migrants in Fes, only of respondents reported that they are or had been engaged in paid work since their arrival.

Providing legal aid to migrants of trafficking networks and smugglers from taking advantage, while also offering law students the chance to gain valuable experience in the field, and connecting migrants and women to CSOs to develop skills and build their own cooperatives or businesses, which can reduce youth unemployment. With a stronger legal and economic support system, migrants are more likely to establish roots rather than risk irregular migration to Europe.

Developmental and human rights organizations are increasingly offering support to migrants around the country, yet it is important that organizations take further steps at the local level. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees () has repeatedly warned that certain quarantine measures and restrictions on free movement must meet international human rights standards. Rather than delaying asylum claims, they can be processed remotely, where restrictions prevent face-to-face interviews. Extending residency permits to those in-need can increase health access to migrants in areas affected by the pandemic.

In May, in partnership with the Moroccan government, the UNHCR and the National Council of the Medical Association to provide increased health care access and medicines for asylum seekers and refugees in Morocco.

Moroccan migration policies support a humanitarian approach and prohibit manifestations of racism. However, limited accessibility of resources for migrants and legal obstacles

Further steps can include greater health and legal accessibility for vulnerable migrant groups, including access to psychosocial support, emergency accommodation, pre-school education, childcare, mediation, and occasional emergency aid (such as in the case of a lockdown). October has historically been the month for migrants crossing from Morocco to Spain, so it is important to adopt these steps to prevent a surge in dangerous, irregular border crossings.

Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts is a Global Studies undergraduate student at the University of Virginia. USMBA Law students participate in skills-building workshops in preparation for opening a law clinic. February 2020, High Atlas Foundation.

By Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts

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The Forgotten Victims Of The Pandemic: An Ongoing Migration Crisis - The New Dawn Liberia

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MP with a vision and a progressive outlook towards issues Supriya Sule is a veteran at her job. The two-time top performing member of the parliament, Sule may belong to a family crowded with political leaders but she is far from being understated. She has created a distinct name for herself through her push towards the betterment of her constituency from which she has been an MP since 2009.

In this interview, Sule opens up about her views on womens safety, migrant crisis, queer community being vulnerable, her work as an MP and how she has tremendously managed COVID-19 in her constituency, even though Maharashta is struggling as a state..

You have been the MP of Baramati for the last three terms, how do you distinguish this term going different from the others?

Supriya Sule: Clearly COVID-19 is a challenge in itself but it has nothing to do with my term. It is a global issue and it doesnt matter which profession one is in.

How is Baramati tackling COVID-19?

Supriya Sule: Baramati Lok Sabha Constituency is handling the situation very well. People along with the administration are helping each other amidst the coronavirus crisis. We implemented stringent lockdown even after the national lockdown was reopened. The local administration did effective crowd prevention and management and contact tracing efforts, earning the district the tag of corona-virus free.

(Since the interview, few positive cases have come up in the district. In the last 15 days, Baramati record six cases of coronavirus and one death.)

In this interview, Supriya Sule opens up about her views on womens safety, migrant crisis, queer community being vulnerable, her work as an MP and how she has tremendously managed COVID-19 in her constituency, even though Maharashta is struggling as a state.

As a parliamentarian, how challenging is it to contain it in your constituency when entire Maharashtra is struggling?

Supriya Sule: I dont think Maharashtra is struggling in isolation, the world is struggling. It isnt about being a member of parliament, it is about being a human. Human misery is far more painful. Your profession doesnt matter when the whole world is going through such a miserable time. I cant be so selfish and insensitive to just view Maharashtra as battling the infection.

You have been the best performer in the parliament consecutively, this time for tackling the pandemic effectively. What are your thoughts on it and how have you made it possible?

Supriya Sule: It is a job that I love to do and I try to the best of my abilities. It is not about where I stand in politics but about how I work with the other MPs as a good team player and thats all that matters to me.

What are some of the other challenges that Baramati is facing?

Supriya Sule: The biggest challenge is to tackle the economic depression that will arise due to the coronavirus crisis. But everybody has challenges in the world and the beauty of it is that you have to rise above them. Thats why, as representatives, we have to find solutions to them and make peoples lives better with the legislation we make in parliament.

The biggest challenge is to tackle the economic depression that will arise due to the coronavirus crisis. But everybody has challenges in the world and the beauty of it is that you have to rise above them. Thats why, as representatives, we have to find solutions to them and make peoples lives better with the legislation we make in parliament.

But what are some challenges specific to your constituency that you want to do better in?

Supriya Sule: I want to completely eliminate malnutrition in the top-performing constituency that Baramati is. Secondly, I also want to tackle anaemia in my constituency and I want all these illnesses like TB, malaria, dengue, COVID-19 free constituency.

There has been a rise in domestic violence against women across the world, have you seen a spurt of such cases in your constituency and how are you dealing with the rise?

Supriya Sule: We have taken this proactive step to prevent similar cases from occurring in the Pune rural region. Vigilance committees consisting of women from three agencies the Women and Child Department, Anganwadi workers from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and panchayat samitis are visiting houses in each ward of a gram panchayat. The tormentors would be transferred to an institutional quarantine facility, which could mean a town hall or a village lodge or any other public facility in villages.

How do you think this pandemic is impacting the queer community as you have always shown your support to them and have always pushed for gender-neutral laws in the Lok Sabha?

Supriya Sule: One doesnt have to wait for a pandemic to realize that the LGBTQ+ community is vulnerable; they have always been marginalized. We have to take care of our queer community round the year whether there is a pandemic or not.

With the current situation and the migrant crisis, how is your leadership ensuring to deal with it?

Supriya Sule: We have done a lot of work in sending people from our constituency to other parts of the country by ensuring them train tickets, water, food and other such relief material. In our district, it happened flawlessly and I am very grateful to the local administration who made sure that relief work happens smoothly.

We have set up camps across the Pune District on highways for people traveling to their homes to provide them with a safe place to rest and stay, with nutritious food, necessary medical care, toilet and registration for transport being arranged. Moreover, till May 21st, 50 shramik special trains have departed from Pune district. Around 62,000 people have traveled in these trains.

2,689 buses have departed to various places outside Maharashtra. Around 41,000 people have left for their homes in these buses. 3,238 buses and minibuses have left for different districts of Maharashtra with students and labor heading to their homes. We are helping migrant workers by providing them kits with essential commodities and hot meals.

(We conducted this interview on 28 May so the number may vary now.)

We have set up camps across the Pune District on highways for people traveling to their homes to provide them with a safe place to rest and stay, with nutritious food, necessary medical care, toilet and registration for transport being arranged. Moreover, till May 21st 50 shramik special trains have departed from Pune district. Around 62,000 people have traveled in these trains.

Also read: Political Apathy During The Pandemic Traumatized Me: Karur MP Jothimani

Do you think this pandemic has shown a very classist side of the society with the migrant workers being pushed to walk their way home?

Supriya Sule: It has always existed but the brutal truth is that we all have to face classism again and again because of some decisions that we have radically taken in the past. I dont want to blame anyone in these challenging times as it would be unfortunate.

How does a typical day look like in the times of coronavirus in the life of an MP?

Supriya Sule: We get up and we are on the phone the whole time to cater to distress calls. To help people deal with the crisis, we have to be connected with the administration at the state level and local level. It begins with having a review of the issues not only in the constituency but across the state. Some of the tasks include coordinating with the administration, conducting meetings on digital platforms with policy makers, legislatures and representatives from each sector. Apart from this, we have to take feedback from the constituents and streamline things accordingly and we believe in interacting with people across the state on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram too. My Team and I are available 24*7 to help people who need help.

Like everybodys mental health is impacted by the intense fear around coronavirus similarly, MPs must be affected too mentally. How is it like in your case?

Supriya Sule: Giving up is so easy and this is not the first challenge all of us are going through. We have seen so many challenges, but we learn from each other and evolve accordingly.

Do you think the ongoing political discourse of communalism is having an impact in your constituency? Tell us more about it.

Supriya Sule: We are all working extremely hard in helping every individual who needs help to be distracted by these things.

Also read: Amravatis Independent MP, Navneet Rana On Politics, Misogyny And COVID-19

Finally, how has the experience of being a female MP been for you? Were asking this in the context of women being a minority in the parliament and politics being a highly misogynistic workplace.

Supriya Sule: I come from a very liberal Maharashtrian society which is not gender-biased at all. Maharashtra is very gender-equal. I dont see gender in parliament. An MP is an MP no matter what gender they belong to.

All pictures have been taken from Supriya Sules Facebook profile.

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I love my job, Supriya Sule On Being A Top Performer In The Parliament - Feminism in India

The alert from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) follows reports that an airstrike on Sunday in Washhah District, in north-west Hajjah Governorate, killed seven children and two women.

Another two children and two women were reportedly injured and taken to Abs Hospital for treatment Hajjah Governorate in north-west Yemen.

Condemning the development, theUNs Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen,Lise Grande, said in astatementthat it was incomprehensible that in the middle of the COVID pandemic, when options for a ceasefire are on the table, civilians continue being killed in Yemen.

The country has long been a steppingstone for migrants seeking work in the oil-rich Arabian States to the north of Yemen.

But landing points across from the Horn of Africa have become increasingly dangerous since conflict escalated in March 2015, between the forces of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi - supported by a Saudi-led international coalition and mainly Houthi militia, for control of the Arab nation.

Today, widely described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, fears that COVID-19 has already gained a strong foothold in Yemen have been compounded by a potential famine alert last week from the World Food Programme (WFP), as some 10 million people face acute food shortages.

For nearly six years, Yemen has been an extremely unsafe place to be a migrant, said IOM spokesperson Paul Dillon. COVID-19 has made this situation worse; migrants are scapegoated as carriers of the virus and as a result, suffer exclusion and violence. In addition to the forced removals, fears about COVID-19 have led to migrants in Yemen experiencing verbal and physical harassment, increased detention and movement restrictions.

COVID-19 restrictions have reduced the number of migrant arrivals in Yemen by 90 per cent in recent months, while also leaving tens of thousands of Ethiopians in limbo, according to IOM.

Transportation through the country has been blocked and at least 14,500 migrants have been forcibly transferred between governorates, it said in a statement, with at least 4,000 people stranded in Aden, 2,500 in Marib, 1,000 in Lahj and 7,000 in Saada governorates.

In 2019, an average of 11,500 per month arrived in Yemen from the East African ports, according to IOMs Displacement Tracking Matrix, in search of work in Saudi Arabia.

In May 2019, 18,904 people made the crossing, while this year, only 1,725 arrivals were recorded.

Although more than 1,460 cases of new coronavirus infection and 418 deaths have been reported in Yemen, the IOM official noted that the agency and the broader humanitarian community in Yemen, are working under the assumption that the virus is widespread.

With most migrants sleeping outdoors or in unsafe abandoned buildings, they are at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19, Mr. Dillon continued.

They have little access to basic services like food, clean water or health care, a worrying situation given how pervasive the virus is believed to be in Yemen.

After being stranded in Yemen, a group of Ethiopian migrants return to Addis Ababa with the support of the International Organization for Migration. (July 2019), by IOM Bole Addis Ababa International Airport

In an appeal for continued access for humanitarians throughout the country, the IOM official highlighted grave concerns about virus transmission in places where migrants are being held.

Prior to the emergence of COVID-19 in Yemen and elsewhere, we know that many of these - many of these detention centres - are not particularly sanitary, Mr. Dillon said. Theres no access to some of the basics that one would need to address public health concerns such as COVID-19.

Last year, IOM reached nearly 60,000 migrants in Yemen with shelter support, health care, voluntary return assistance and psychosocial support.

According to Ms. Grandes Office, nearly 1,000 civilian conflict-related casualties have been reported in Yemen in the first six months of 2020.

Yemen cant take much more, she said. There isnt enough funding, health and water programmes are shutting, famine is stalking the country again, and people all across the country are being hit hard by COVID.

At a pledging event in Riyadh on 2 June, donors pledged only $1.35 billion of the $2.41 billion requested to cover essential humanitarian activities until the year end, leaving a gap of more than $1 billion.

Since mid-April, 31 of 41 of critical UN programmes have been reducing or closing down for lack of funding, Ms. Grandes Office said.

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In Yemen, thousands of Ethiopian migrants stranded, COVID-19 likely widespread - UN News

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly acknowledged on Friday that community transmission of coronavirus has begun in certain coastal regions of the state. In essence, Pinarayi declassified what must be a top secret at the all-India level. The chief minister has chosen to be upfront on a sensitive issue, when his peer group is playing safe and is in denial mode.

But how can a pandemic be fought when the rulers are in denial mode? The fact of the matter is that community transmission began quite some time ago in our country and has begun appearing lately in Kerala, too. Pinarayi has been personally conducting the daily briefings on the march of the pandemic in his parish to educate the public opinion.

Indeed, how do you fight a pandemic unless the public is aware of the gravity of the crisis? In Kerala, community transmission is limited at present to the fishing villages where social distancing norms are difficult to enforce, as fishermen also happen to be migrant workers who go wherever there is good catch available. So, triple lockdown has become necessary in select coastal areas to prevent the fishermen from travelling to neighbouring states where the pandemic is raging.

Hasnt the time come for PM Modi to announce that community transmission has begun? Of course, it is unpleasant news. But the number of infected people crossed the 1 million mark in India on Thursday.

At this rate, how can one take lightly the prognosis by the hugely prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore that the number of infected cases will exceed 3.5 million by 1st September and could rise as high as 12 million (over 3 million active cases and half a million fatalities) by 1st November?

The IISc study by a group of noted scientists says that by the New Year on 1st January 2021, India would have possibly reached close to 30 million infected cases (over 6 million active cases and 1 million fatalities). The pandemic is not expected to peak before March next year.

This is an apocalyptic scenario. The international community anticipates a massive crisis spiralling out of control and is closely watching India, which accounts for one-sixth of humanity. The Newshour programme yesterday on BBC Radio World Service gave top billing to the pandemic ravaging India. The highlights of the discussion were as follows :

-The rate at which the infection is going up in India is worrisome.

-There are many more infections that are to be counted beyond the official figures.

-Vast cities like Mumbai and Delhi are the worst hit but the pandemic is spreading to other cities and towns too and lockdown is being reimposed in some areas.

-The situation is absolutely bad in Delhi where alongside the pandemic-related issues, there is also the collateral effect on peoples lives. The migrant labourers who are trying to get back to their homes are hard up, as once again the government has stopped the transportation, the trains as well as the bus services.

-The number of migrant workers has only increased in Delhi. Most of them want to go back to their homes. The unemployment rate has drastically increased and many industries are refusing to take back their employees.

-The grim reality in Delhi is that massive unemployment is leading to hunger, and this is posing a graver challenge than the Covid-19 situation. The government has announced huge schemes and everything, but on the ground those schemes are yet to reach. If the help doesnt reach the people within the month, it will become very difficult to handle the situation.

-Overall, there is a sharp increase of cases all over the country and the epidemiologists and scientists are of the opinion that the government needs to take a strong stand and admit there is community transmission so that steps are taken to see that the epidemic can be brought under control.

-Given the number of cases, community transmission is surely happening. The active states are concentrated in a few states and although there is a steady increase of cases all over the country, the alarming increase is happening at present in a few states and there too, confined to a few districts. Perhaps, the government does not want to scare the public by admitting there is community transmission and this could be one of the reasons behind this denial mode.

-The fatality rate has not been high compared to other countries. But this is changing, as more tests are being conducted and more cases come to light and there is also an incidence of acute cases. Plus, the hospitals are getting flooded and are increasingly unable to handle the severe cases. Therefore, the fatality rates are going up.

-Proportionately, the number of infected cases is relatively low as of now, as compared to the United States and Brazil. But the reality is that India is facing a very precarious situation. Since the infection cases are going up at a very alarming rate, the situation can go out of control at any point from now onward.

-One problem is that people are not taking social distancing seriously in the far-flung regions of India. Therefore, it is small comfort that India is doing relatively better than the US or Brazil as of now. The truth is that India is in a very precarious position and needs to be very, very careful to make sure that the situation does not explode. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better in India.

If this account is anywhere near the truth, our leadership is behaving like an oligarchy twiddling their thumbs, revelling in videoconferences and Twitter exchanges and politicking at a time like this. Who are they kidding? The world community must be aware that the Indian people are grappling with an existential crisis and for a foreseeable future, Indian economy will be in doldrums, and its capacity to perform on the global commons is severely restricted.

To my mind, the leadership needs to put all other government business aside and begin to work on controlling the pandemic and saving human lives. All the resources available with the Central Government must be deployed to this end.

Indias credibility as a democratic country is at stake here. The IISc study becomes a benchmark to judge the performance of the government. Searchlights are going to be held by the world community in the weeks and months ahead as the fatality rate starts shooting up and people die like flies.

Cover Photograph Reuters

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Exponential Covid Rise In India - To Deal With the Crisis, First Recognise It - The Citizen