Monthly Archives: June 2020

It is time for focussed action

We need a proactive policy effort based on post-pandemic realities of the country’s economic potential

Covid-19 is probably one of the topics about which more has been written and spoken than perhaps any other subject in the last several months. The subject itself would be suffering from some kind of “author’s fatigue.” Content wise, the articles have little more to say than perhaps reflecting philosophically or administratively on certain categories, policies or more. All this is a part of life and several media fora flourish on this. So be it!

On May 25, in a write-up titled Impenetrable Barriers in these columns, a description had been put forth on the logic and birth of the concept of the National Capital Region (NCR). It pointed out how an over-anxious administrative zeal on the part of some in the affected NCR States had created impenetrable boundaries, barricaded with permits. For weeks, misguided zeal, an ill-informed search for solutions and an urge for seeking applause had created a state of competitive “statism.” Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi took turns to make the life of average law-abiding citizens hapless, forcing them to try and build bridges in an attempt to integrate divided lives across […]

By |2020-12-18T18:27:55+00:00June 22nd, 2020|Columns, Economics & Development|0 Comments

Many lessons to be learnt yet

If the crisis can create learning formulations for a more sober and thinking human being, then this period of agony would be a blessing for humanity

There is one widely accepted cause for an avoidable personal disaster. It is rooted in the simple belief that “it cannot happen to me.” The propensity of drivers to take undue risks on the road is also rooted in the same belief. There are enough studies on accidents and in traumatology which establish this fact.

It is a similar story where contagiously-transmitted disease is concerned and HIV/AIDS is a classic example of this. People believe that it will happen to someone else, somewhere else and not to them. They manage to convince themselves that a brief indulgence cannot lead to such disastrous consequences. But, as they discover to their peril later, this is not always the case and they have to pay a heavy price for negligence.

An obvious one next in the list is Covid-19. A quick visit to/from somebody one wanted to see surely can be undertaken without fear of infection. We do not want to be accused of overreacting so we would rather take our chances. Such things can happen, do happen and several […]

By |2020-12-18T18:27:27+00:00June 8th, 2020|Columns, Healthcare & Covid|0 Comments
Go to Top