View: India needs a strategy for the pandemic's 'new poor'
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Last Updated: May 20, 2021, 12:14 AM IST
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Synopsis
It’s now as much about pulling people out of poverty as stopping them from falling back into it.
Agencies
Like it is doing for the Indian economy — seeking to reverse the contraction through a stimulus — the government will have to figure a strategy to restore the living standards of the ‘New Poor’.
Anil Padmanabhan
The ferocious surge in the mutated strain of Sars-Cov-2 virus has forced several state governments across India to impose lockdowns. However, unlike last year’s nationwide lockdown, which was undertaken before the virus got into its stride — in fact, GoI was accused of jumping the gun — the recent curbs were imposed well after the surge had already set in. This was pretty much bolting the stable doors after the horse has bolted. Worse, there is no clear evidence that lockdowns do succeed in breaking the chain of infection. At best, it slows down the spread.