It’s an unprecedented crisis of a gigantic proportion and at the end of each passing day and reading the counts, the message delivered by Covid-19 is clearly a horrifying one - am here to stay and wreak havoc indefinitely. The entire world as well as India having realised the truth is desperately seeking arsenal to combat the war, the cost of which will run into billions to say the least. Fund sourcing is going on all over the globe and from Saturday, with the announcement of coming into being of the PM CARES Fund, it has finally commenced in India too. Since it was highly necessary, it should be praised and it is also the time to show one’s true nationalism. From the nationalism of rhetoric, which most of the time displays superficial qualities only, the tensed nation expects that something solid(s) are being done by ‘so many individuals’ who have strongly capabilities in doing so.

It’s going to a gargantuan task indeed and rationally speaking, the combined effect of the 15,000 Cr package to strengthen the healthcare system specific to the medical infra needs and the 1.7 lakh Cr to attain the pandemic’s alarmingly baneful economic consequences will still fall short of actual requirements. As of now, evaluating the picture strictly under medical yardsticks, even if the march of distress taking into consideration the positive cases and deaths  has taken almost an exponential pattern, the much of the mayhem is still to arrive. Various studies are suggesting that the peak will reach between April end and May middle and hence, it needs little emphasis that how much the level of preparedness ought to be. And since the economy currently is miles behind from what can be called fighting-fit to face a crisis of this epic level, not to mention the overall medical infrastructure and institutional capacity which, generally speaking is equally sub-standard, it’s well-nigh impossible for the government alone to continue the war.

At this juncture, a wholehearted national participation with involvement of all segments of society as per respective capacities will go a long way in facing the woes. Meanwhile, that doing the rounds in minds of the common people now must be this-  how about the ultra-rich,  the richest 1 % who are in possession of the combined wealth held by 95.3 crore fellow citizens? It’s only in January last it was revealed that these people, 63 in numbers,  have had a cumulative wealth of Rs 24,42,200 crore which is  higher than the Union Budget of 2018-2019.   

If this class is generous enough to part even a small percentage of the above ‘mountain’, much of the financial problem in facing the pandemic will be solved. Now, the question is, will they be so? 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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