COVID-19: Safety
and Optimal Utilization First, Let Only the Administration Carry Out the Relief
Distribution
“ Ban Circulation of Videos
Inciting to Defy Government Orders “
Deepak Sharma
When
the whole machinery of the country is pressed into containing the spread of
novel corona virus (COVID-19) and to save the lives of people, there are some
who are intentionally defying the Government orders and advisories and are seen
attacking, manhandling the front line medical workers, which makes the
situation more serious and appalling. More dreadful are the videos available on
internet and which are viral on social media platforms, media mainly made using
video-sharing social networking service applications like Tik Tok and Vigo , which
on the name of Islam, provokes and wrongfully induces the people belonging to
Islam/Muslim religion to defy Government orders and advisories to prevent
spread of novel corona virus (COVID-19). Such videos must be banned immediately
and law enforcement agencies must identify people involved in these videos and
strict action under law is required to be taken against all such people.
And if
such videos are not banned immediately, it could cause a grave threat of
spread of corona virus especially in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
where majority of the population following Islam religion, though is educated
and informed, but there are many other settlements of foreigners like Rohingyas, Bangladeshis who
follow Islam religion, are orthodox and most of them are poor and uneducated
and thus can easily fall prey and get influence to such propaganda videos and
cause significant devastation by spreading the novel corona virus (COVID-19) .
While on the other hand,
it is laudable to see that in this grave situation of threat to human race
arisen out of the spread of novel corona virus (COVID-19), people in India
altruistically coming out of their homes on own volition and distributing
relief to others but at the same time the way the distribution of relief work
is being carried out without ensuring quality of relief material and without following
standard protocols and proper precautions, planning and coordination , it could
not only result in health issues among those receiving sub standard quality
relief material but could also augment the spread of disease and also cause
shortage of food supplies in the times to come, as the way the virus is
spreading, the lock down could lasts for a considerable much longer time.
As far as food reserves
are concerned, though, as of March 9, 2020, J&K has total food stock of
2.18 lakh metric tones out of which the stock of rice is 1.57 lakh metric tones
and that of wheat is 0.61 lakh metric tones and the country overall has the
food stock of 584.97 lakh metric of which rice is 309.76 lakh metric tones and
wheat is 272.21 lakh metric tones, which is not of much satisfaction keeping in
view the vast population of the country, but if this unmindful, unplanned and uncoordinated
distribution of relief continues it could cause severe shortage of food
supplies in the times to come if the lockdown period is considerably increased,
which is sure to happen in view of the current situation. Already those who are
engaged in the distribution of relief have purchased the stocks in volumes from
the nearby karyana shop, local market and wear house and as per the media
reports Jammu’s biggest whole sale market wear house has stocks left with only
for seven days and there is no immediate hope of receiving supplies as the
trucks carrying essential supplies are stranded in other states because of
restrictions due to lockdown, though the Government has said that over 300
trucks are arriving J&K every day, which could give relief for some time
but if the food supplies are not efficiently managed and distributed it could
cause a serious food concern in near future if the lockdown continues for a
longer period, and the prolonged lockdown would further result in affecting the
agriculture produce causing shortage of supplies and there would be bleak
chances of getting import of food stocks from the other countries as every
country of the world more or less would have been effected of the disastrous
effects of the virus on the longer run. So there is an obvious need of proper
planning and management of food reserves so as to meet the demand and supply in
future.
Quality distribution of
relief material and Proper identification and marking of those in J&K who
are deserving and are in actual need of free relief at the first instance, is
required to be done, as though there is no denying the fact that there exist a
section of population in J&K which is poor and maximum of such poor people
are the economic migrants from other states but the poverty level in J&K is
not as worrisome as it exists in other parts of the country. The poverty rate
in J& K is 10.35 per cent, which is almost half of the national average of
around 21 per cent & Human Development Index for Jammu & Kashmir, however,
is higher than the national average.
The Human Development
Index (HDI) is a composite index of life expectancy, education, and per capita
income indicator and if the food reserves are not properly managed and
distributed free of cost only to those who deserves, we could land up in
shortage of food supplies in near future as the lockdown could continue for
next few months seeing the severity of the spread of virus and mounting daily
counts of positive cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). But if we plan and distribute the relief
judiciously not only we would be self reliant in future but if need arises,
would be even able to provide supplies of food reserves to fellow countrymen.
In this hour of crisis
to the survival of human race, many NGOs and other organizations have come
forward for relief and people of all religions and beliefs are donating
generously to these organizations. Even political parties through their office
bearers and workers are pressed in distribution of relief but the lack of protective measures, training
, coordination and planning among them is causing the risk of spread of virus
and misutilization of limited food
supplies as the relief is being distributed without any mechanism which creates
the scope of receiving relief by same person or family from multiple
organizations engaged in the distribution of relief leaving many others much
deserving who may be in actual need of relief. As it is seen that in the same
area many different organizations distribute relief but there are only fixed
number of people in every area who
actually deserve free ration distribution at the first place and because of
lack of coordination among the organizations , ration is being distributed to
same set of persons or families multiple times and such people also do not
divulge this fact of receiving relief earlier also to the distributors fearing
that lock down may continue for a substantial longer period and thus find
it proper to reserve food supplies.
Not only there is a need
for proper planning and management of food reserves but also the distribution
is required to be done keeping in view the safety of those volunteers who are
distributing and those who are receiving the relief .As the volunteers of NGOs
and other political or non political organizations which are engaged in the
distribution of free relief material are at a serious risk of getting in
contact with corona virus infected person as most of them are performing the
task of distribution without any proper training, protective gears and
precaution. Facebook , twitter,
whatsapp and other social media platforms are flooded with videos and pictures
of volunteers distributing relief material to people with no or minimum
protective gears like quality masks, globes, goggles and without following
fixed standard protocols of avoiding gathering of people in groups or in the
shape of crowd, keeping required distance
and thus endangering not only their own lives but also of those around
them and frustrating the very objective of lockdown which is to contain the
spread of virus by breaking the chain of infection, without affecting the
supply line of essentials.
Many a times there is a hoax call of relief and
people start gathering in groups to receive free ration.
Also since it is now
medically proven that the victim of corona virus remains asymptomatic id est
without showing any symptoms for a number of days, in the absence of any
medical screening of these volunteers by the government or even by their own
organization, there is every possibility that some of them might have already
contracted the virus and in the process of relief distribution might have even
spread the virus among those who had physically come in contact with them or
have received the bags of relief material touched or handled by such infected
volunteers and there is equal possibility that the volunteers of such
organization, who are without any training and protective measures, could
contract corona infection from any infected person who comes to them to receive
free relief. Significantly,
on March 30, 2020 the Jammu district administration while exercising power
under section 144 Cr.P.C and Disaster Management Act, ordered the restrictions
in an area where just a day before the volunteers of an organization had
distributed relief to people en masse without following standard precautions
and protocols. So it
is imperative that apart from providing trainings and protective measures,
periodic medical screening of the volunteers is either required to done by the
Government or by their own organization.
We all need to
understand this thing very clearly that we are going through a serious virus
attack, declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has
resulted in extraordinary circumstances
causing death to thousands and illness to millions and still counting and as
said extraordinary circumstances needs extraordinary decisions and planning and
thus those
who are distributing relief might have their earlier experiences of
distributing relief in situations like
floods, cloudbursts, earthquakes, communal riots, accidents etc. But this time the situation is far different
and unique, for which they are not experienced and trained, forget getting
properly equipped and protected. As this time, it is a fight against a
virus, for which apart from periodic medical screening, special care,
protection and training is required to be imparted to those who are engaged in
the supply of essentials and free distribution and there must be a robust
planning and coordination to get the maximum utilization of limited resources
of food supplies.
Solution
First of all ,
it is immediately required that videos circulating on social media inciting
muslims to defy lockdown, advisories and government orders to prevent spread of
novel corona virus (COVID-19), must be removed forthwith , their further
circulation be banned and strict action under law be taken against persons
involved in such videos. To overcome the
issues of lack of coordination and poor management of distribution of relief
and also that of safety of volunteers and relief seekers and to achieve the
purpose of lockdown to contain the virus, it is suggested that either the
Government take control and make regulations for the distribution of relief by
the organizations by ensuring distribution of only quality relief material and making
it mandatory to follow standard protocols, providing training and protective
gears to the volunteers and periodic
medical screening of the volunteers engaged by such organizations for
distributing relief and also to keep database of people receiving relief to
check mis-utilization or exercising the powers under Disaster Management act,
2005, the Government may order that instead of distribution of relief by the
organizations at their own individual level, the relief in cash or kind be
given by all such organizations to the administration which would further be
responsible to distribute it to the needy people through its established
institutions like Panchayati raj institutions, municipalities,
district board, cantonment board, town planning authority or Zila Parishad or
any other body or authority, by whatever name called, for the time being
invested by law, for rendering essential services, and if any volunteer shows
interest to assist the administration in the distribution of relief, the
administration may take his assistance but only after providing proper
training, protective gears and conducting periodic medical screening of such
volunteers.
By doing so there would be a
proper system in place for distribution and apart from ensuring the safety of
volunteers as well as those receiving relief, it would also check mis
utilization of relief material and ensure that quality free relief material is
provided to those who deserves and are in actual need, as the Government
already has the centralized data of B.P.L persons and for persons who are
migrant labourers and others who due to the lockdown are unable to sustain
themselves, the Government could provide them relief by marking their aadhar or
other identity details to ensure that the same person or family do not get the
relief multiple times for the same period. In this way not only the safety of
volunteers and relief seekers could be protected but also there would be an
authentic assessment and management of the food reserves which would be of
colossal help if lockdown continues for a longer period.
( The
author is advocate; J&K High Court and convener RAAG (Research and Advocacy
Group), views expressed are personal )
