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Lockdown has been further extended till May 3, explained as only possible way out. No one can question the logic behind the move. While announcing the extension the Prime Minister minced no words on the sufferings of the people. Eloquently he went on to congratulate them. His address was not accompanied by any plan of action to support the poor. It is easy for a vocal leader like Narendra Modi to elaborate on the necessity of lockdown and social distancing. Physical distancing and social protection should have been the correct approach. But the government preaches only for social distancing. For the poor of the country to obey the stringent norms of the lockdown is not an easy task. Their primary concern is hunger.

In my childhood in the Taluka town of Berar, erstwhile Nizam ruled region, I had often heard a maxim by several women – “lene gai thi put aur kho baithi khasam” (she had gone to get a son but lost her husband). I could not fully comprehend the significance of the maxim in my childhood but the clamp of lockdown for 40 days adopted by the union government to fight the fear of the corona pandemic and the disastrous impact for the economy explains it fully.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while admitting that “jaan” (saving lives) is important has chosen to extend the lockdown until 3 May, 2020. Although social distancing is important, however, lockdown also means livelihood of millions getting affected, and the possibility of many people dying of hunger.

Vietnam has sent 450,000 protective suits to the US as part of the country’s support in the “global effort” to contain the coronavirus package, the government said.

The COVID-19 pandemic will change the way to live and work once the crisis has passed. Most importantly, it will make us question our modes of consumption and question the market forces that drive peoples choices. But as the author points out, the choice is a class issue, for the millions’, there is no choice, living on the margins of existence. It compels us to look at the post corona world as a better world to live in.

Donald Trump, the most abrasive president the US has ever had, is the true representative, nay villain, of corporate capitalism with deep-ridden imperialist culture. He will do anything to defend the profits of corporations and his chair in the White House, including sacrificing the lives of his own people. The unfortunate result of his bullyismis that the US has become the biggest target of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hard to imagine life without a lockdown in these days of corona! The feeling will remain for as long as we do not get on the back of this killer contagion. Particularly, in the absence of a vaccine. And the vaccine could be as many as 18 months away. Can economies survive such a long period of hibernation?

India is perhaps first nation that has identified and inscribed in her constitution the fundamental rights of not only citizens but also criminals and outsiders. The American constitution also mentions civil liberties, economic independence and right of expression to all but not voting rights. Indian constitution as conceived by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is the first ever written document to recognize and grant equality to all regardless of their religious affiliation, economic ability, social distinction or individual beliefs.

Ever since the Right to Food campaign has approached the Supreme Court of India, in what is commonly revered to as the right to food security petition, the relevance of the Essential Commodities Act 1955 has become more apparent. Food procurement and minimum price support to farmers are one of the finest examples of what a socialist state should do. In this article, the author explains how the Essential Commodities Act is relevant to the pandemic, expose neo-liberal arguments and has argued for a return to the foundational values of the constitution.

BHOPAL: After tragic death of five gas victims the Madhya Pradesh government was forced to revoke its earlier order of reserving Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) for Corona patients. Not only BMHRC was reserved for Corona patients but all the indoor patients were shifted to other hospitals or to their homes.