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The reports about the imminent closure of various editions of Times of India and the shutdown of most bureau offices of the The New Indian Express in Kerala did not come as a surprise, though they are signs of a long winter of deep and painful transformations the industry is undergoing right now. For those who have spent a lifetime in journalism—like this writer—it is a heart-wrenching spectacle of bloodshed. Many of those who have lost jobs in recent times or those who are shortly to face such a fate are either longtime friends or former colleagues.

In light of COVID-19, the Finance Minister of India (“FM”) on May 13, 2020, announced a slew of incentives for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (“MSMEs”). The directions for the MSMEs formed the first tranche of the much-awaited financial package of Rs 20 lakh crores, announced by the Prime Minister of India on May 12, 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought out the stark inadequacy and abysmal neglect of the public health system in India. Even after 50 days of the lockdown, the Modi government seems to have not learnt from the experience of tackling the deadly virus. In state after state, government hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of patients and the lack of treatment facilities. The state of government hospitals in the hotspot of Mumbai provide a grim illustration.

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan Niazi announced reimbursement Rs 12,000 to each laid-off worker due to Covid 19-led lockdown under the Ehsaas Kafaalat social protection and welfare program (Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme), launched on 1 April last. It became operational right away. He tweeted ‘Yesterday I met recipients of #EhsaasEmergencyCash Category IV for labourers laid off work, funded by Prime Minister’s COVID Relief Fund. For every rupee donated, govt will give 4 more. Ehsaas data & transparency rules apply fully.’

Rev. Dr. William Barber of the New Poor People’s Campaign has been preaching: “This virus is teaching us that from now on, living wages, guaranteed health care for all, unemployment and labour rights are not far-left issues but issues of right vs. wrong and life vs. death.” Expanding on those truths, here are some more lessons we have learned these past couple of months.

Indian NGO, SEEDS in partnership with researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is part of a research initiative termed the Corruption and Disasters Research Initiative (CADRI) to pioneer a new area of cross-disciplinary research and action in vulnerable urban environments that highlights the impacts of corruption on naturally triggered disasters, and aims to reduce vulnerability in urban environments.

It was more than a century and a half ago that Abraham Lincoln said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” While the wisdom behind these words is clear, what has long confounded the world is, quite simply, why some leaders think that masses can be fooled all the time? This is what struck my mind on listening to announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring Rs 20-lakh-crore package, followed by five tranches announced made by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. All that has been said and done in the name of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India Mission) in effect mocks at the 70-year-old sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic Republic of India, which has been enjoying a unique place in the comity of nations.

Is Modi’s Covid lockdown going the way of the ill-fated demonetisation? Looks like it is.

Desperate situations demand innovative solutions. The Indian economy, ravaged by the lockdown for the last 57 days, is in a dark tunnel with no possibility of coming out in the near future. The Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus accounting for 10 per cent of the GDP of the country, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12, and elaborated by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman later in the week in five instalments, has turned out to be a big flop. Its immediate use to revive demand and pep up economy in the present crisis ridden stage remains questionable, at best.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders have established a task force to unite the Democratic Party on a progressive agenda. The action reflects the urgency that not only most in the Democratic Party but labour and all its allies place on the task of ousting Trump from the White House in November.