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Propagandists equate ISKCON in UK to Tablighi Jamaat in India after ISKCON devotees get infected by Coronavirus: Here’s why they are wrong

OpIndia Staff
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Propagandists equate ISKCON in UK to Tablighi Jamaat in India after ISKCON devotees get infected by Coronavirus: Here’s why they are wrong

The United Kingdom’s handling of the Wuhan Coronavirus has received widespread criticism from people across the board. Initially, the British Government chose to pursue the ‘herd immunity’ option but it was only when it became evident that the devastation caused by that foolhardy path would be so huge, the government was forced to course-correct. It is under these circumstances that one particular meeting of ISKCON became the source of infections for many devotees in the United Kingdom. And certain motivated actors from India are now equating ISKCON and their cases of Coronavirus in the UK with the malicious conduct of the Tablighi Jamaat in India.

Shahid Siddiqui, known to be an apologist for Islamism, claimed, “Andh Bhakti, blind faith is the source of all problems not TJ or ISKCON”.

Source: Twitter

Vidya Krishnan, ‘health and science journalist’, who has earlier spread malicious lies about India’s response to the Wuhan Coronvirus pandemic to achieve politically partisan goals, said, “In London, the Hindu diaspora is at the centre of a cluster outbreak. Their govt has not vilified the minority the way Health & Home Ministry does every single day during the briefing.”

Source: Twitter

Other Islamic apologists have also joined the fray and pretending as if the case of ISKCON in the UK and the Tablighi Jamaat in India are similar even though there is nothing remotely similar in the two cases.

Source: Twitter

Now, let us get to the truth of the matter. So far, 21 devotees have been confirmed to have been infected with the Wuhan Coronavirus, of which five have passed away due to it. Two meetings, on the 12th and 15th of March, have come into question which was attended by around a thousand devotees. The infections at ISKCON represent a minor fraction of the Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom. As of the time of writing this report, there were 51,608 cases in the country and 5,373 deaths.

Thus, ISKCON currently contributes to only 0.04% of the cases in the UK and the percentage of deaths is at 0.09%. Thus, ISKCON’s contribution to the number of cases and deaths in the UK due to the Chinese Coronavirus is incredibly low. Compare this number to the Tablighi Jamaat in India. As of the 6th of April, 1445 of the confirmed 4067 Chinese Coronavirus cases in India were linked to the Islamic Missionary organization. That is, 35.5% of the cases were linked to it. It’s a ridiculously high number when compared to ISKCON in the UK. The two cases are definitely not the same.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that the ISKCON was not in violation of any government guidelines or order when the event was conducted on the 12th and 15th of March. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a stay at home order only on the 23rd of March, eight days after the second ISKCON event. Until then, it was still business as usual in the country. However, when Tablighi Jamaat had over a thousand members holed up at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Indian Government had already issued several social distancing guidelines and at the time of the religious event, they were clearly in violation of the orders against public gathering issued by the Delhi Government. Again, the two instances are definitely not the same.

The conduct of Tablighi Jamaat in India and ISKCON in the United Kingdom could not have been more different either. Unlike the Tablighi Jamaat, ISKCON devotees are not deliberately hiding the suspected cases to avoid detection and thereby, undermining the government’s efforts to curb the pandemic. Moreover, unlike the Tablighi Jamaat, the gathering did not claim that their God will somehow protect them from the pandemic or that the virus was a conspiracy against their religion. In fact, all ISKCON Temples were closed on the 16th of March, a week before Boris Johnson issued the lockdown orders.

The Tablighi Jamaat’s overall behaviour has been atrocious as well. Its members have misbehaved with the hospital staff, they roamed around the hospital naked and made sexually inappropriate gestures at the female healthcare staff. They threw tantrums over the food and demanded that they are served better served instead. They abused officials and spat at doctors in order to spread the virus further. Furthermore, they refused to adhere to social distancing norms in quarantine and huddled up together. They made unreasonable demands by claiming that they should be provided with entertainment and the ones which tested positive refused to take their medicines. ISKCON devotees have not done anything that is remotely comparable to any of it. People who are pretending that both cases are similar are running deliberate propaganda in order to dilute the severity of the Tablighi Jamaat’s atrocious conduct.

The people equating the conduct of the Tablighi Jamaat in India and the ISKCON in the United Kingdom are fully aware that the two cases have nothing in common with each other. But they are claiming so regardless of the truth because it serves their political agenda. It is not only in India that the Tablighi Jamaat has emerged as super spreader. The Islamic Missionary organization has spread the virus across the entire South Asian region and even in places as far off as Palestine. Therefore, to even claim that there is similarity between the cases is nothing short of acting as apologists for Radical Islam.

Moreover, certain individuals have claimed that the India government has ‘communalized’ the pandemic and is selectively targeting the Muslim community because Tablighi Jamaat has received great attention from all quarters due to its deplorable conduct. It is a familiar argument that props up every time a Radical Islamic organization indulges in criminal conduct. The same people who claim that not all Muslims are terrorists or bigots (something that everyone is well aware of) whenever a terrorist attack occurs equates the criticism directed at Tablighi Jamaat to hate spread against the entire Muslim community. It is a pathetic attempt to shield the Tablighi Jamaat from fair criticism.

In the latest instance, these people have attempted to put undue blame on ISKCON for sins they did not commit. It could be argued that they should not have organized the events on the 12th and 15th of March, something even ISKCON concedes, but their actions must be judged on the backdrop of the conduct of the British Government itself which did not take the virus seriously enough until it was too late. As such, the contribution of ISKCON to the Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the UK are not even remotely significant. It is clear that motivated propagandists are blaming ISKCON and comparing them their actions with the Tablighi Jamaat in order to shield the latter from all their fair criticism that is coming its way.

Coronavirus fear: Punjab man refuses to take his mother’s body despite assurances, deceased covid-19 patient cremated by district administration

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus fear: Punjab man refuses to take his mother’s body despite assurances, deceased covid-19 patient cremated by district administration

A 69-year-old woman had died of Wuhan Coronavirus infection in a private hospital of Punjab’s Ludhiana. As per a report in the New Indian Express, her family refused to take the body and cremate due to fear of infection.

Despite the repeated assurance by authorities to give him enough protective gear that will shield him against the infection, her son refused to perform the last rites of his mother, asserted Additional Deputy Commissioner(General), Iqbal Singh Sandhu.

The elderly woman who was a resident of Shimlapuri village was admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana on 31 March and had later succumbed to the disease on Sunday, 5 April.

Sandhu said, “It was a big shock for everybody when relatives including, son of the deceased, did not come to claim her body. The body was later claimed by the district administration. The authorities approached the family twice, but they refused to claim the body.”

As per reports, the son of the deceased woman was assured by the authorities to be provided with requisite protective gear for cremation but they still refused to perform her last rites.

Eventually, the District administration had claimed the body of the woman and performed the last rites while the son and her other family members watched the process from over a 100-metre distance.

On 17 March 2020, the Government of India had released an advisory for dead body management of COVID-19 patients. The guidelines that were issued said that friends and family of the deceased can see the body but must avoid touching. Personal Protective Equipment is also to be used to avoid contact with the body. The religious rituals such as reading from holy books or scriptures, sprinkling holy water and other last rites that do not require touching of the body can be done. However, bathing, kissing and hugging of the dead body will be prohibited. The family of the deceased will have to be on guard while cremation.

Earlier, the BrihanMumbai Municipal corporation also issued a circular that those who die of Wuhan Coronavirus infection will have to be cremated irrespective of religion as the burying may spread infection. The Civic body withdrew the declaration later due to the intervention of Maharashtra Minority Development Minister Nawab Malik.

Coronavirus: Central govt contemplates extending lockdown after three-week period ends

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Central govt contemplates extending lockdown after three-week period ends

The central government is now contemplating extension of the lockdown which was to end on 14th April 2020 after several state governments and experts put in the request, said government sources to public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. On Tuesday, 24 March 2020, Prime Minister Modi in his address to nation had announced a three-week lockdown across the nation in wake of Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

The Union Health Ministry in its press briefing today said that the central government is in constant touch with the state governments and depending on the situation, the union will take a decision regarding extension of the lockdown. As of now, no decision regarding extension is taken.

Following the lockdown, the states had also sealed borders in a bid to contain the spread of Chinese coronavirus. However, Delhi government-run buses took migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to the Delhi-UP border and left them on their own allegedly with the promise that the UP state government buses will take them home. This was after the state governments had suspended public and commercial transport. On humanitarian grounds, the UP government later sent buses to pick up the stranded migrant workers and took them to quarantine facilities and their desired destinations.

Read: Tablighi Jamaatis’ piece of sh*t: Attendees defecate in corridor at quarantine centre, FIR registered

Now, as we enter the third week of lockdown, more cases have emerged after the Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Delhi’s Nizamuddin have emerged as superspreaders taking the virus to other parts of the country. In light of this, it seems, that the state governments and experts seem to have recommended an extension of lockdown so that further spread of the contagion is controlled.

Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat flees the hospital in Baghpat, uses his clothes as rope

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat flees the hospital in Baghpat, uses his clothes as rope

After becoming the super spreader of the Wuhan coronavirus in the country, the Tablighi Jamaatis have been making things very difficult for authorities trying to contain the pandemic in India. In another incident, a 60-year-old coronavirus patient, a member of the Tablighi Jamaat, fled from covid Hospital Khekra in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhagpat last night.

He was admitted to the hospital on April 3, Friday, as part of a group of 28 people from Nepal, who had attended the Delhi Tablighi Jamaat gathering.

The man allegedly broke a windowpane of the isolation ward, used his own clothes to fashion a rope, climbed down a floor and ran away.

The Jammati’s from Nepal who came to Baghpat on March 19 from Nizamuddin Markaz of Delhi were quarantined at Sri Krishna College Balaini. The investigation found this 60-year-old Nepalese Jamaati was corona positive. After which he was kept in the isolation ward of covid Hospital Khekra. 

Authorities had started a hunt for the runaway patient in neighbouring villages. As per latest reports, the man was finally nabbed near a brick kiln in the Katha village.

It is imperative to note here that Tablighi Jamaat at the Nizamuddin Markaz held earlier in March has turned out to be a hot spot for coronavirus positive cases. Many of the attendees have been found misbehaving with the healthcare workers. The Jamaatis in a Ghaziabad hospital had resorted to spitting on doctors to harassing nurses and running amok naked in the wards. This morning, an FIR was registered against two Nizamuddin Markaz attendees in Narela quarantine centre after they had defecated outside in the corridor.

About 4858 people have been contracted with the COVID-19 so far in India and 136 have lost their lives to the deadly contagion. 

Bihar: Elderly woman killed by neighbours after fight over switching off lights on 5 April, Sulaiman, Khalil and others absconding

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Elderly woman killed by neighbours after fight over switching off lights on 5 April, Sulaiman, Khalil and others absconding

An altercation broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, which led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman.

The accused Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc, who strangulated 70-year-old Kaili Devi after the argument, are now absconding. The deceased’s son Surendra Mandal has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused.

Rahika SHO Rahul Kumar confirmed that “The accused are absconding. A case under Section 302 has been lodged against the accused on the statement of the deceased’s son. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem,” adding that a dispute over switching off the lights between two neighbours led to the incident.

Copy of the FIR
Copy of the FIR

This incident has sparked anger and rage in the Hindus of the area. The locals have demanded justice and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the administration for the deceased’s family at an expeditious level. They have also demanded that the accused should be arrested soon and awarded the death penalty. Heavy police force has been deployed in the area to avoid communal tension after the incident.

The incident took place at around 9 pm on 5th April (Sunday) at Satlakha Mani Das Toll of Rahika Block under Bisfi Legislative Assembly, Madhubani, Bihar, when Surendra Mandal asked his two Muslim neighbours to switch off the lights of their houses to support PM Narendra Modi’s call. But the neighbours refused and kept the lights on.

Mandal again urged his neighbours to respect PM Modi’s appeal and switch off the lights, which led to an argument between the families. Suddenly the accused barged into Surandra Mandal’s house and strangulated his mother, Kaili Devi, to death.

The victim was rushed to the primary health centre at Rahika where the doctors declared her brought dead. A postmortem will be conducted on the deaceased after which the police will ascertain the reason for the death of the elderly woman.

Surendra Mandal, son of the deceased woman, has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused. His family has alleged that the murder accused are close to local MLA Fayaz Ahmed, and have expressed the fear that the case might be dismissed and the accused might not be booked due to their political connections.

Speaking about this incident, Madhubani’s Legislative Council member Suman Mahaseth said that the accused persons in the village of Satlakha, where this incident took place, started abusing Kaili Devi’s family members when asked to switch off the lights. Kaili Devi allegedly went to urge the Muslims not to get abusive and unnecessarily get into a fight, when few people from their side had attacked her.

Calling the incident unfortunate and tragic, the chief Jai Prakash Chaudhary appealed to the villagers to cooperate with the administration in finding out the reality of the incident. He also urged to maintain peace. Police officer Rahul Kumar said that an FIR has been registered on the application of the woman’s son. Postmortem of the body has been done. Madhubani SP Dr Satya Prakash said that the incident was caused due a mutual dispute. The case is being investigated, action will be taken against the culprits, said the SP.

PM Modi had on Friday urged people to turn off lights at their homes for nine minutes at 9 pm to display the country’s collective resolve and solidarity to defeat the deadly coronavirus.

After PM CARES collects Rs 6,500 crores in just a week, Sonia Gandhi wants it transferred to PMNRF: Here is the real reason

OpIndia Staff
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After PM CARES collects Rs 6,500 crores in just a week, Sonia Gandhi wants it transferred to PMNRF: Here is the real reason

Sonia Gandhi, the current President of the Congress party has asked the Prime Minister to transfer all the funds received under PM CARES, that was set up to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF). According to Sonia Gandhi, this should be done for ‘better transparency, accountability and efficiency’.

While it might seem like an innocuous statement that aims at simply playing politics at a time when the country is trying to deal with a global pandemic, there is more to it than meets the eye.

In this regard, it is pertinent to note that the PMNRF had a management committee that oversaw how the funds are employed. While the Prime Minister has discretion, the committee, when it was set up by Jawaharlal Nehru included the President of the Congress party.

When the Fund was constituent, the following people were included in the managing committee of the PMNRF. 

i) The Prime Minister.
ii) The President of the India National Congress party.
iii) The Deputy Prime Minister.
iv) The Finance Minister.
v) A representative of Tata Trustees.
vi) A representative of Industry & Commerce to be chosen by FICCI.

Read: Did you know that the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund has always had the President of Congress party in its managing committee

Rajiv Gandhi had then given the control of the PMNRF solely to the Prime Minister.

In the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus, Prime Minister Modi launched PM CARES Fund where he invited public contribution to fight the pandemic. The PM CARES Fund is an emergency fund that was set up to provide relief to those affected by the Wuhan Coronavirus. The PM CARES, or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been set up as a public charitable trust. The Prime Minister is the chairman of this trust and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister And Finance Minister. 

As soon as it was launched, the fund received a thumping reception with thousands of people donating to it, including industrialists, Bollywood stars and the average folk. However, one question that was repeatedly raised as to why a PM CARES Fund was created instead of simply using the PMNRF or even renaming the PMNRF to PM CARES.

As of now, the PM CARES Fund got a thumping reception and managed to collect Rs 6,500 crores in just a week.

It is rather interesting that Sonia Gandhi would now demand that Rs 6,500 crores and counting should be transferred to the PMNRF instead of being in a focussed fund that aims to fight the Coronavirus pandemic as opposed to PMNRF which is for every disaster that might strike the nation.

Perhaps it is because the PMNRF is now directly under the control of the Prime Minister and the hope that the fund will one day be under the control of a PM that comes from the Congress party, who is bound to be from the Gandhi family, plays an important part in that decision. It is important to note that after PMNRF was declared a trust, nobody knows what are the guidelines that govern the PMNRF and since it was ‘deemed a trust’, it has functioned without a title deed till date. Essentially, the PMNRF has far less transparent as compared to the PM CARES Fund and thus, perhaps Congress, which is today asking for ‘transparency’ by the fund being transferred to PMNRF, needs to answer why a party, whose sole aim is to install a Gandhi Prime Minister, keen on PM CARES fund being transferred to a far less transparent fund solely governed by the Prime Minister of the Country.

It thus suffices to say that the PM CARES Fund is far more adequate and transparent than the PMNRF is even though the latter has come to the rescue of several citizens as well. 

It is also now reported that the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), which is a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, will have up to 13 eminent experts to undertake relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency including the creation and up-gradation of healthcare facilities. Most importantly, the eminent experts will be working pro bono. 

There is also a provision to set up an advisory board of not more than 10 persons — selected by the trustees from among the medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, academicians, economists and lawyers.

Read: PM CARES fund to have up to 13 eminent experts to undertake relief and assistance during emergencies: Report

“The responsibility of the trustees in PM-CARES has been defined, unlike in the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The latter has no provision of an advisory board. PMNRF has the PM, deputy PM, finance minister, Congress president and a representative of the Tata Trust and industry representative chosen by FICCI, as members of the trust,” a senior official speaking to Economic Times revealed.

A senior BJP functionary said Congress was objecting to PM-CARES because the Congress president had not found a place in it unlike in the PMNRF. “The idea is not to make the PM-CARES fund political in any sense. There is no BJP representation on the PM-CARES fund – people will be on the trust based on their positions in government,” the functionary said.

“PM-CARES’s objectives include undertaking and supporting relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress either man-made or natural, including the creation or up-gradation of healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, other necessary infrastructure, funding relevant research or any other type of support.”

Indian Army to take over Narela quarantine facility after Tablighi Jamaat attendees defecate in the corridor

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Army to take over Narela quarantine facility after Tablighi Jamaat attendees defecate in the corridor

Following the increasingly unruly demeanour espoused by Jamaat members at the Narela quarantine facility, a request was made to the Indian Army to take over the medical screening setup. Now, the Indian Army has confirmed that it is in the gradual process of assuming the responsibility of screening duties in the Narela camp.

The gross misbehaviour of the Tablighi Jamaat members in quarantine facilities continues unabated as they excreted in the corridor of the Narela quarantine centre earlier today. The Indian Army has ensured that the process of taking over the responsibility at the Narela camp from the civil medical professional will be gradual and progressive.

The situation at the quarantine facilities where the errant Tablighi Jamaat members were sheltered was increasingly worsening as the Jamaat miscreants indulged in decadent behaviour with the healthcare professionals such as nurses, attendants and doctors present at the facilities.

Initially, the Jamaat members threw tantrums and made unreasonable food demands to the authorities at the quarantine facilities. Then the reports emerged that the Jamaat members held in quarantine centres were spitting everywhere at the facilities, even on the nurses, attendants and doctors tending to them. Furthermore, Jamaat members were also accused of milling around naked in the quarantine facilities and making lewd gestures at the nurses attending to them.

This morning, two Markaz returnees Mohammad Fahad and Adnan Zahir reportedly created ruckus at Narela quarantine station and excreted in the corridor. The camp in-charge said that they are jeopardising the containment measures by their reckless behaviour. As per Amar Ujala report, the duo even misbehaved with office staff after defecating in the corridor. An FIR has been registered in this context.

About 1200 Tablighi Jamaat attendees are kept at the quarantine centre in Narela and the Army personnel have been deployed.

Andhra Pradesh: 4-year-old Hemanth donates his savings of ₹ 971 to fight coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Andhra Pradesh: 4-year-old Hemanth donates his savings of ₹ 971 to fight coronavirus

In a heart-warming gesture, a 4-year-old kid name Hemanth had donated his savings of ₹941 to the Chief Minister’s relief fund at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. The boy, accompanied by his parents, handed over the money to the State Communications and Information Minister, Perni Venkatramaiah, at the YSRCP office in Tadepalli.

Hemanth had saved the amount to buy a new bicycle. Reportedly, the kid is fond of the State Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy. He requested that the money be handed over to the Chief Minister to fight the Chinese coronavirus. Venkatramaiah promised him that he himself would hand over his donation to the CM Reddy. The Minister congratulated the boy for his sweet gesture at a time of a global humanitarian crisis and also assured that he would buy a bicycle for Hemant.

On Friday, the Andhra Pradesh government had confirmed the state’s first death due to the Novel Coronavirus. The Health, Medical and Family Welfare department revealed that patient, Sk Subhani, a 55-year-old resident of Vijayawada, breathed his last in the Government General Hospital on March 30.

The government has traced the deceased’s connection with the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. Subhani’s son had attended the Banglewali Markaz congregation in Delhi and returned to Vijayawada on March 17. Later he tested positive for Coronavirus. The doctors have established that the deceased caught the virus from his son. Andhra Pradesh had reported a total of 226 live cases as of March 6.

Maharashtra: 50 Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees in the state missing, their phones switched off

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 50 Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees in the state missing, their phones switched off

Soon after Tablighi Jamaat emerged as the newest coronavirus hotspot in the country, authorities are now scrambling to identify the attendees of the congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin who have now dispersed in different parts of the country. In such a scenario, a statement by Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has set the alarm bells ringing for the officials involved in limiting the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus in the state. Deshmukh has today revealed that about 50 Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees in Maharashtra are on the run and their phones are switched off.

“Fifty people who returned to Maharashtra from Tablighi Jamaat are missing. They are being searched. Out of 1400 people who returned from Tablighi Jamaat, 1350 people were tested. 50 people are still hiding and their phones are switched off,” Anil Deshmukh said.

Anil Deshmukh further added that misbehaviour with healthcare professionals and police personnel will not be tolerated in Maharashtra. “Strict action will be taken against those who misbehave with policemen. So far, 55 such cases have been reported in Maharashtra and legal action has been initiated against 180 people,” Deshmukh said while adding, “Three police personnel accompany a medical team for the treatment of Corona positive cases.”

On the chaos that occurred outside Uddhav Thackeray’s house after a tea-seller was testes positive for novel coronavirus, Deshmukh said, “A tea seller near Uddhav Thackeray’s house was tested positive for coronavirus. The security of the chief minister and his phalanx of police officers is paramount. For this reason, policemen on guard outside his house have been sent to quarantine. The security of the entire Maharashtra Police force matters.”

Furthermore, Anil Deshmukh said that policemen have been provided with all the necessary equipment such as- PPE, mask, sanitizer to fight the spread of the contagion. The state has demanded 10 lakh N95 masks, ventilators, PPE from the Central Government, he said. Regarding the likelihood of an extension of the lockdown, Deshmukh said that it is being reviewed and if the situation remained under control, lockdown might be lifted.

About 3981 people have been contracted with the COVID-19 so far in India and 114 have lost their lives to the deadly contagion. Maharashtra leads the list of states with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country with the tally of affected nearly 750 mark and about 45 fatalities thus far.

Australian Indian Institute’s arm-chair activists ridicule India amidst Coronavirus lockdown: Why they are wrong

Vijay Chauthaiwale
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Australian Indian Institute’s arm-chair activists ridicule India amidst Coronavirus lockdown: Why they are wrong

Lately, the Australian Indian Institute has published an article where it has slated the pan- India lockdown announced by the Indian government to counter the further spread of Coronavirus. A futile attempt has been made to ridicule the relief measures announced by the Central and the State Governments of India. The article has stated that the food aid provide by the government to the informal sector “feels like a joke”. However, the article appears to be very narrow-sighted and biased as the ground realities have not been taken into account by the writers. 

Despite being the world’s second-most populous country, India has reported less number of cases as compared to other nations. The rapid action taken by the Indian Government is one of the prime reasons behind these ‘not so grim’ statistics. Both central and state governments have devised various relief schemes to ensure proper food and shelter facilities to the poor along with financial assistance.

Taking into consideration that the people who are part of the agricultural sector, low-income groups and unorganised sectors will be worst impacted by the lockdown, the Central Government announced Rs 1.7 lakh crore ($23 billion) financial package for them. The package also includes a 3 month free supply of food grains, pulses and cooking gas in order to support them from the economic vagaries. Furthermore, the Centre has front-loaded an advance instalment of Rs. 2000 which would be benefitting over 8.7 crore farmers.

Read: Modi govt announces a Rs 1.70 lakh crore welfare scheme for poor during Coronarvirus lockdown: Here are the 12 announcements made

In addition to the Centre’s endeavours, the State leaderships have also shown exemplary efforts to negate the detrimental effect of the ongoing health crisis. The Uttar Pradesh government is not just providing Rs 1000 to the poor and the daily wage labourers but has made arrangements to provide one moth stock of food grains for free. The people who do not fall in any of the state schemes and their livelihood have been affected due to the pandemic will also be provided with food and money by the designated rural and urban authorities. Reusable masks will also be distributed to the poor for free by the government. The Delhi government has been feeding almost 4 lakh marginalized people in the Union Territory. Additionally, they have converted the government schools and stadiums into temporary shelter homes for the homeless and migrant workers. In Maharashtra, the government has set up relief camps to provide shelter and food to the homeless.

The real strength of India lies in its people. The world’s largest lockdown is conscientiously being followed by the majority of the people. They have not just shown commendable patience and cooperation but many individuals and voluntary organisations have come forward to help the nation overcome this health crisis. Delhi-headquartered ‘Goonj’ has initiated ‘Rahat Covid-19’ programme to ensure comprehensive family kits of essentials, including dry ration and personal care material to two lakh areas known for migration.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in close coordination with State Governments and District Administration, has stepped in to provide relief by providing food to thousands of people across the country. It has begun its relief service by providing a meal or dry ration support to people in Rajasthan, Gujarat, NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Sewa Bharti is feeding 75,000 people of Delhi on a daily basis. The volunteers are also collaborating with temple trusts in the national capital where hundreds and thousands of meals are served each day. The Karma Foundation conducted a mega food distribution camp at Ahmadabad distributing approximately 42000 food packets to indigents. The foundation has also been feeding stray animals.

Read: As India fights Wuhan Coronavirus, here is a list of prominent Hindu Temples and religious leaders helping India through donations and welfare

It is pertinent to note that when the most of the world leaders are occupied in tackling the domestic problems, India has not only evacuated its citizens stranded in other affected countries but also has evacuated citizens of other countries. PM Modi became the first global leader to call for a collective international effort to combat the health crisis.

It cannot be denied that emergency situations demand stern measures. Undoubtedly, a mass lock down in any given circumstance will have an adverse effect on the lives of the common people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself acknowledged the hardships being faced the citizens and sought an apology for taking the ‘difficult decision’. He has been constantly interacting with the doctors and health workers from various parts of the country not just to take first-hand feedback but also to encourage and thank them for their selfless service towards the nation. Even in these stark times, the PM has been able to give a sense of national purpose to the people by bringing everyone together for ‘janta curfew’ and lightening diyas and candles.

Regardless of all the criticism at both domestic and international level, the Indian leadership is grading up its policies amidst all the resource constraints and population pressure. The government has also been successful to a great extent in providing reassurance to the people and keeping the panic at minimal. Innovation, community support and coordination at all levels of government along with the unity and determination of the people will soon pave the way for a corona free India.

It is unfortunate that rather than taking note of all these efforts by multiple Indian agencies  central government, state governments, local bodies, NGOs and people at individual levels, Australia-India Institute published this article authored by arm-chair analysts who are far away from ground realities.

(The article has been co-authored by Tanya Tyagi)

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