Cooperative federalism and COVID-19

Cooperative federalism and COVID-19

Introduction

Instead of dictating how States deal with the pandemic, the Centre must be a facilitator

Covid-19 case load

India’s national positivity rate, or the proportion of tested cases returning positive, is around 21%.

Vaccination drive coverage

Couple that with the faltering vaccination drive, and the picture is far from pretty.
On April 12, India administered 3.7 million doses of vaccine and after April 26, it has failed to administer over 3 million doses a day.
Ever since the vaccine drive was expanded to all adults over 18, on May 1, the maximum number of daily doses administered has been 2.4 million.
This, even as daily new cases added continue to be above 380,000 and deaths close to 4,000 a day.
The oxygen crisis continues and the pandemic has now established itself in rural India in lethal proportions, with macabre reports of bodies surfacing in the Ganga in the stretch from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar.
All of these point to the fact that there is a very large pool of those infected and prone to infecting those around, bringing up the question of whether a national lockdown should be reimposed.

Actions taken by states

No fewer than 18 States have imposed various grades of lockdown or curfews.
Some only lay stress on shutting down marketplaces whereas others are more reminiscent of the curbs of March and April last year.
These restrictions are expected to be in force at least till the third week of this month.
Many of the States with the highest positivity rates and growth in infections have already imposed restrictions on the main sources of continued spread.
These include religious gatherings, social functions and leisure visits to public entertainment spaces.

Is there a need of national lockdown?

A ‘national lockdown’ at this stage has only cosmetic value.
India’s economy was already in a nosedive before March 2020 and the sudden imposition wreaked havoc on the migrant workforce.
A lesson that has emerged from the pandemic is that States are best equipped to take care of themselves with the Centre doing its job best while acting as a facilitator.
Central Ministers, armed with the best medical experts, had declared early this year that India was in the ‘end game’ of the pandemic and that India had “shown the world” how to beat it.

Way forward

Instead, the Centre must focus on distributing equitably across States vaccines, oxygen tankers, testing kits and other critical medical equipment while also accounting for a potential third wave.

Source: TH

Join Our Telegram

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and MASS EXTINCTION

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and MASS EXTINCTION

25 Dec, 24
SHARE

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a from the Paris Basin (Environment) Paper-3 PMP OAE 1a refers to a period during the Cretaceous Period (145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago) when Earth's oceans became depleted of oxygen, causing a significant disruption in marine life. Cause: The event is believed to have been

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance)

26 Dec, 24
SHARE

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance) Governance GS PAPER-2 PMP Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi’ initiative on Good Governance Day, celebrated to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The initiative, which is part of the broader ‘Prashasan Gaon

Major programmes to control Air Pollution

23 Dec, 24
SHARE

Major programmes to control Air Pollution National Clean Air Programme? It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. The

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India

21 Dec, 24
SHARE

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India (Environment) GS Paper-3 P-M-P Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere in such concentration that may be directly and/or indirectly injurious to humans or other l

Geopolitical Significance of Ports

20 Dec, 24
SHARE

Geopolitical Significance of Ports (IR) Act as geopolitical assets: Ports enhance the projection of strategic reach, which helps strengthen the country’s control over important sea and energy supply routes. E.g. Indian Navy’s staging base at Agalega Islands will enable marine patrols