When Covid 19 hits, there is no breathing space, and the like has never happened in several centuries. But life has other issues too that refuse to go into oblivion. Those alive need sustenance. According to a report, there are at least 26 crore families that keep starving. They need food, at the minimum, as everything else becomes secondary, though cannot be lived without. There is the need for employment, proper wages, sane working hours, healthcare, education for their children. The toiling masses, carrying the burden of superstructure, are imperative for a society to keep alive. Denying them is violation of human cause. Yet to keep prices high, beyond their reach, deprivation is maintained, keeping their wages low, or refusing employment.

There is a sharp rise in unemployment and fall in employment opportunities, MSMEs going through endless crisis, receding GDP, rise in profit for a small section, rate of impoverishment has been fast and huge. The privatisation spree has hampered the development of economy. Public sector units are slogging for all twenty four hours to provide oxygen, but major orders are for private sector units. The disparity has affected the supply and the country is gasping. Just for a single breath, people are perishing, while the third phase is already at the door.

According to data available for 2021, 86 million people live in abject poverty. Poverty in fact is a multifaceted concept inclusive of economic, social and political elements. Data for 22 states that have been released shows that out of the 22 states anaemia had increased in 18 states, stunting had increased in 13 states and wasting had increased in 12 states. Despite the fact that India has always been producing the grains for our staple Indian food in huge quantities, like rice, wheat, vegetables, milk and fruits. Nature has been very kind to our people. But it is the system that makes larger sections live in almost total denial and for those in service of corporate, nothing is in short supply. One glaring example is set by the three agrarian acts that the government at the centre had tried to impose upon the farmers. Farmers are on dharna for more than hundred fifty days.

Analysing the phenomenon, agri-experts have traced it back from the demonetisation bid (2016), that influenced the prices and trade in agrarian sector. Then came GST. It also had immense negative impact on farming sector. There was the doubling of tax burden. Food items like meat, fish, poultry, grains, cereals, dairy products and vegetables, fruits, were though exempted from CENVAT, but items like food grains and cereals were taxed at four points under the state vat. It was eighteen percent GST for pesticides, while for fertilizers, it went up to 12 per cent, though later it became five percent. For even instruments of labour, tractors and machinery were put to hike of five per cent.

Farmers are to shoulder the burden of all these taxes though no credits are to be extended to them. The crisis had started getting deeper, even before pandemic stepped in. There was the recession in economy and there was unprecedented fall in GDP. Quality of life was worsening fast and it was then that Pandemic stepped in. While for one, those in power were responsible, for the other, the cause was damage to the nature, again, result of human intervention.

As after a year, we are again facing lockdown, the ever lengthening dark possibilities expose the crevices in the system. The labour law stands replaced by four codes, and the prime loss is the gain that we had won after years of struggles, which is eight- hour shift. Almost all the jobs have gone on contract, with unlimited working hour without over time. But all this if one is employed. The working class has been hit hard by the growth in unemployment. The only sparkle left was in the rural sector but that also has been quenched with three agrarian laws.

Finally, as Covid makes each one vulnerable, oxygen, the elixir of life is ebbing away. (IPA Service)