PROF DR.J.A.JAYALAL is the National President of Indian Medical Association. He is the Vice President Commonwealth Medical Association, London, UK, He Professor of Surgery – TVMCH. He has MBA from Canada and a PhD from Pondicherry University. He chairs the UNESCO Bioethics in India. In an interview with MOHD NAUHAD KHAN, he said, it is not our aim to only control Corona, but we are trying to overcome the infection of Corona and it is going to be possible only through vaccination.

What’s your take on the vaccination drive?

I am extremely happy to see that the Covid vaccination drive is being meticulously planned and executed in our country. In the first phase, the healthcare workers and front-line line workers were vaccinated. Now the government has started for the front line workers like paramilitary police personnel and other people to get vaccinated. Now it has been open for the public from the month of March. This is a good initiative and the need of the day. As an Indian we are proud that Indian scientists and modern medical doctors have strived hard and have found out this wonderful vaccine and were made in the shortest time. By all means and studies, it has been proved to be efficacies, safe and it has produced the desired effect.

What was your experience after getting vaccination and what would you like to say about its immunity? 

I as a national president of the Indian Medical Association have taken the vaccine on the first day of its launch on 16th January and I have also taken the second dose. I am very confident that it has given me the immunity to get over the crisis of Corona. Not only when the people are taking the vaccines it is not only giving the individual immunity it will also give the herd immunity to the society. For the country having herd immunity even village society I having the herd immunity that will ensure that we will be able to get over the country. We are recommending it to people above the age of18. At present, it is only for people above 45 years of age.

What would you like to say to people who are still afraid of it side effect?  

Kindly note the vaccination has no side effects. However, when you take the vaccine you may feel sometimes fever, pain or body ache. All these are showing that the vaccine I working in our body. These are the desired effects we are expecting whenever we are using this vaccine. At every place where one is given a vaccine, it is mandatory that one will be observed for 30 minutes by the monitoring teams arranged for the purpose. They will look and observe. They will ensure that no adverse action takes place. Please be rest assured that this vaccine is good for Corona which is having mutations. The UK is trying which is more infectious and the vaccine is also going to protect us all.

Is it possible to eradicate the Corona through vaccine? 

We may see that when Corona is coming down and why should we be vaccinated it I not so. We have been able to eradicate Polio, Small Pox and we have eradicated various diseases in our country only because of immunization. Only when 60 to 70 percent population takes vaccine it is going to be the same. It is not our aim to control but we are trying to overcome the infection of Corona and it is going to be possible through vaccination.

What next after taking vaccine?

Of late in the various parts of the world except for India and Argentina all the countries had the second wave of Corona. The second and the third wave is going to be more disastrous than the first wave. We are fortunate that we have not seen the second wave. But of late in some four to five states there has been a rise in the case. I am happy that the government of India has extended the vaccination centers. Some 20 thousand new private centers have opened for the vaccination. Even after vaccination e would advise to maintain social distancing norms, wear the mask, and take all precautionary measures as advised by the government                                                                                       

Experts on Economy, Health and Education in India had anticipated different kind of budget this time because the pandemic had hit most of these sectors very hard. There was strong realisation that the government after serious introspection of the damage done will change its approach accordingly keeping in mind post-Covid challenges. 

Many national and international experts were of the opinion that the pandemic will force the governments and the policy makers to redefine their policies, budgetary approach and pledge afresh to meet the post-Covid challenges. The pandemic has no doubt has exposed the emergency preparedness of even the developed nations. It is hereby important to find out from our experts that whether the budget is on their expected lines? Will the provisions formulated in the budget can ensure quick recovery and help to overcome the challenges we are facing at all fronts. Experts are of the opinion that a lot more was required to be done to revive the economy.                              

According to Prof Arun Kumar, who is the Malcolm Adiseshiah Chair Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences and was formerly a professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, “The budget was expected to take care of the problems that were there during the pandemic and the lockdown because the economy had collapsed. During lockdown there was voluntary cessation of economic activities and therefore in the month of April and May the economy declined by about 75 percent and it has been trying to recover since then. Even in the month of January because large part of unorganized sectors was still not able to recover like travel, trade and so on. I believe in January also the economy was down by at least 10 percent.” 

He added, “My argument is that the economy declined not by 7.7 per cent this year but it will be declining by about 29 per cent. The demand in the economy is very short and because of the demand shortage business are not be able to run in their full capacity. So employment is down and investment is down. This was the challenge before the budget to ensure that the economy revives quicker. In coming year also, the economy will not fully recover back to where it was in 2019.  By taking correct steps budget could have improved the growth rate in the economy. This is where the budget is falling short. 

The overall expenditure is rising from 34.5 lakh crore for the current year to 34.8 lakh crore which is almost negligible increase. The overall demand generation the government could have done in the budget is very unlikely because there is hardly any increase in the overall expenditure.

Secondly there are disagreements about the fiscal deficit that being 9.5 percent but that has been brought down to 6.8 per cent. So that could have been another source of increase in the demand because by increase in fiscal deficit the demand in the economy increases. But this will also not increase the demand as compared to the current fiscal year. On both these counts the budget is short and will not be able to increase demand in the economy. Therefore the problem what we have seen this year is going to persists. The role of the government in increasing the demand is not going to be fulfilled,” Professor Kumar argued. 

On the employment, he said, “The Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has been brought down sharply. That was very much required for employment generation for the fact that work in   rural and urban areas have been declined and Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme provided a source of employment and income but if it is  brought down another opportunity to generate employment and income is lost.

Similarly it was expected that the health sector will get much additional allocation because there is crisis of health. But there also the health budget has been brought down as compared to the revised estimate from about 83 thousand crore to about 75 thousand crores.

In rural development also a compared to the r4evised estimate the expenditure has been brought down. In food security also the expenditure has been brought down. These are the areas where immediate employment generation and income could have taken place which could have booted demands.”  

On capital expenditure, Prof Kumar said, “The government is saying that they are going for capital expenditure and they see that they have increased the capital expenditure by a large amount about 25-30 per cent. But this is also a mirage because we have to net-out from the government capital expenditures, the disinvestment because disinvestment means you are giving up your capital items and then you are using it to buy other capital items. So we have to look at the net increase in the capital because when you net out 1.75 lakh crore that plan for disinvestment then the capital investment is also not rising.”                                 

Dr, Amir Ullah Khan, Development Economist and former advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation while reacting on the budget said, “As the FM spoke, it was clear that she was giving great deal of attention to the health sector, and rightly so.. It has been a bad year for all of us, during which we have seen large number of patients die waiting for hospital beds, ICUs and Oxygen cylinders. It was along expected lines therefore that the FM speaks of health being her biggest responsibility. She also announced a figure of 2.4 lakh crores for the health sector, which was unprecedented. However, when we look at the details, we find that the figure is less than half of that. At a time when the healthcare sector needed a huge hike in expenditure, the FM decided to ignore the demands.” 

He added, “The intent of the budget is to achieve GDP growth through growth in infrastructure investment which is academically correct. However this has come with a jump in the fiscal deficit. The impact of this could be an increase in inflationary pressures in the economy, which could adversely impact the ability of the country to attract foreign capital.

The budget has not addressed the needs of the MSME sector or the migrant labor issues. The philosophy behind the budget is academically correct but execution will remain a major challenge.” 

“A number of academics have expressed their mixed feelings on the Union Budget tabled in Parliament on 1^st February, 2021. A big push on infrastructural investments is welcome. Past trends in private corporate investments is any indicator to go by, it is very clear that unless public investment is initiated, corporate investment may not follow the suit. The projected “V” shaped recovery is appearing more exaggerated than ground realities which are depressing,” said Dr Khan. 

“I have not examined the budget closely but my overall view is that the Budget is pro-rich and dismantling public sector, said Dr Pritam Singh who is a Professor of Economics at Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.   .

“It looked to me that the budget is based on two implicit assumptions. 1. Indian economy has a stable and well developed agricultural sector with about 15-20% of the population dependent on it. 2. The vast majority of the people in India (80% or so) live in urban and semi urban areas with non-agricultural jobs. 

There is no serious attempt to develop the economy with a green core in order to save the planet,” said, Prof. Surajit Sinha, Professor of Economics, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur.

On Budgetary allocation for educational sector, MM Ansari, former Indian government interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir, Information Commissioner, member University Grant Commission(UGC) and professor of Economics said, “Union Budget 2021: The Central Government has approved and adopted New Education Policy 2020 with a view to equalising educational opportunities and improving quality of relevant education and training. While the education sector needed higher level of allocation of budgetary resources to fulfill the mandate of NEP, the actual allocation for education sector has been reduced by over Rs 6000 crore, which may prove to be a major impediment in effective implementation of NEP; as the vacant teaching posts at all levels, nearly 40% of the total requirements, may not be filled and S&T education may not get the needed support for enhancing quality of teaching and learning.”  

He added, “Moreover, NEP 2020 has reiterated the government’s promise to raise educational allocation to the level of 6% of GDP. Against this, the current actual allocation is merely 2.8% of GDP, as shown in the Economic Survey 2021. In effect, thus, Union Budget 21 is disappointing from the view point of implementation of NEP and overall expansion and diversification of education and skills training, which in turn is critical for improving employability of youth and faster economic development.

Lack of adequate government support, as evident, will further increase privatisation and commercialisation of education, which will unduly spoil the chances of the deprived communities to acquire quality education to participate in mainstream development activities.”   

Dr. Wasim Ghori, an award-winning UK Alumni with an MBA in International Health Services & Hospital Management from London South Bank University where he spent considerable time studying the National Health Service (NHS, England). He also serves as the Director for Healthcare at Indian Economic Trade Organization (IETO), Medical & Health Information Management Association (MaHIMA) and an Ambassador for Association of Healthcare Management Professionals (AHMP, India). On health budget, Dr Ghori said, “The government’s increased allocation for the healthcare sector is a welcome move as it will provide access to medical care for all in the country, fuel job creation and boost economic momentum.

The increased healthcare spending indicates the realization of how a healthcare crisis like the current Covid-19 pandemic can quickly spiral into an economic crisis for the nation. The increase in budget outlay for health and welfare by 137% as compared to the previous year will boost the public health and pharmaceuticals sector too.” 

“The announcement of an all-inclusive approach through the launch of Mission Poshan2.0 to improve nutritional outcomes for children across 112 aspirational districts is a praiseworthy move.

The decision to set up integrated public health labs in all districts and 3382 block public health units in 11 states along with critical care hospital blocks in 602 districts and 12 central institutions is creditable and rightly addresses the need to reach the last mile population. However, more might be required in a country where the patient-doctor ratio is abysmally poor. Lastly, Union Budget 2021 will set the precedent for future budgets which will use this year’s allocation as a baseline for future initiatives,” said Dr Ghori. 

Mohd . Naushad Khan , Journalist from Delhi

In 2021, it is expected that this time the government should redefine it approach towards healthcare. It is unfortunate that India being one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world has not paid the required attention towards healthcare. In the last year, budgetary allocation for the health sector was Rs 69,000 crore which was just one per cent of GDP. As per WHO estimate, India ranks 184^th out of 191 in terms of GDP per cent spend on healthcare.

India’s total healthcare spending (out-of-pocket and public), at 3.6 percent of GDP is very low as compared to OECD countries where average spending was 8.8 percent of GDP in 2018. However the figure for the developed nations like USA is more than 16 per cent, France 11.2 per cent, Germany 11.2 per cent and Japan more than 10 percent. Also India’s spending is the least among BRICS countries. Therefore, Covid-19 pandemic crisis is a wake-up call for investing more in the healthcare sector.  

Health Budget should focus on Universal Health Coverage…

According to Laparoscopic surgeon J.A. Jayalal, National President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) who also chairs the UNESCO Bioethics in India, “Food security, Primary Education, Primary Justice and Primary Healthcare are the minimum requirement of common man. Health care needs coordinated effort of all health providers. The benchmark set for the standard health are Accessibility, Affordability (by subsidy or other means) and Quality (in delivery of health care and education) health care for all. The accepted health standards are: equitable distribution between urban and rural India and amongst the states. More than 60 percent doctors and 84 percent hospital beds are in cities where only 20 percent population resides. Private and public health should support each other. Public Health is the responsibility of the state yet the investment is comparatively low. Disease burden is 21 percent of the world.”  

On fund allocation, he says, “The budget for the Health sector must be increased to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Additional allocation for Covid vaccination program is a must. Ayushman Bharath program to provide Rs.5L coverage to 40cr citizens and 1,00,000 wellness centres require fund allocation to the tune of 50,000 crores compared to present allocation of 6000 Cr.PPP must be encouraged, there should be provision for incentives for healthcare providers such as  income tax rebate, medicine and instruments at lesser cost. To strengthen the complementary roles of Public and private sectors in health care, sustainable model/s should be worked out, for re-imbursements to private hospital, in cases where emergency care is provided by the private sector. Government should allocate funds for such reimbursement. For better health care for the people, the requirements in infrastructure and basic health facilities need immediate attention. Health Budget 2020 should focus on Universal health coverage.

On infrastructure and Tax, he says, “Health should be given infrastructure status and should be notified. No commercial rate for electricity and water consumption. It should be flat domestic rate without any slabs. There should be Tax exemption for life saving equipments and drugs. Machines or equipments (including endovascular stents, surgical brushes, PDS Plates, medical grade PVC sheeting for manufacture of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis system, should also be either duty free, or a reduction in taxation is recommended (customs as well as excise).

Service Tax on medical insurance should be removed and Tax rebate on Preventive health check-up and health insurance should be increased. Tax rebate should be provided for Research and Development. Special incentives should be provided for R & D. Hospital should not be treated as “commercial venture”; property tax and land taxes should be charged at normal rates.”

He adds, “Products that are indigenously manufactured and compatible with their costlier counterparts, should be encouraged as an option, through CGHS and other Government run health schemes; a fixed proportion of such health care products in these programs could be a useful step in cost cutting. Amount allocated for the health projects are not spent or utilized optimally; timely disbursement of the funds for the projects are essential, reform measures must be taken. Quarterly audit should be implemented and expenditure as per plan must be monitored; organizations that could spend the funds effectively should be awarded. For telemedicine and mobile unit separate funds must be allocated.”

Online Education :Urgent Need for Improvement(Opens in a new browser tab)

 “The elderly should be included under medical insurance cover. Soft loan for medical education and for opening of medical establishments. To encourage medical tourism, Visa procedures should be made easier for overseas patients seeking treatment in India. This could be a robust step towards attracting flow of funds by offering state of art medical care, to foreign beneficiaries. The deficit in the area of skilled workers in health sector especially in some states, as well as care providers in community settings(such as attendants to  geriatric and other special groups ) should be addressed through increasing training institutions devoted to this purpose, in addition to existing programs provided by medical colleges,” he said on facilities and benefits.

He also feels, “There should be no compromise on quality and skill: Medical colleges and training centers to increase man power to be set up in backward areas. AIIMS for states only will not suffice Central funds to be provided in budget. As a step towards equitable distribution of tertiary health care, upgradation of district hospitals to medical colleges or super specialty hospitals should be considered. Seats for medical education should be proportionately increased, to equip such hospitals with healthcare professionals possessing requisite skills, in all categories. Central government should recruit doctors and other healthcare personnels and deploy in backward areas.”  

Health Budget should focus on Universal Health Coverage,ie. “Compulsory medical insurance for all the Indian Medical Doctors“

“Compulsory medical insurance for all the Indian Medical Doctors at subsidized rates. Safe drinking water and sanitation must be accessible universally. Services in the areas of maternal and child health, Mental health, geriatrics and cancer, rehabilitation and treatment of disabled should be further strengthened. Use of Generic drugs should be encouraged and they should be made widely available, while monitoring the retail price of such drugs. Micro insurance (low premium for low income group, also for senior elderly people) must be addressed. Rare disease policy to be defined and fund earmarked for management of rare diseases (like liposomal storage disease etc),” he demanded.

MOHD.NAUSHAD KHAN.

RMDS is a leader in community-centered data science ecosystem services. It successfully organized a 2019 data science competition in partnership with a NASA JPL research group to predict hurricanes, and it created a2020 data science competition in partnership with the City of Los Angeles for scoring COVID19 risk.

WorldData.

AI is the preeminent AI platform that provides News Sentiments and Entity Relationship Maps generated from over 60 million news articles on the web, and over 3.3 billion curated time series datasets for predictive intelligence.

WorldData. AI will provide contestants with News Sentiment data, entity relationship maps, stock market data, macro trends and company financials. In addition, contestants will have access to WorldData.AI’s 3.3 billion datasets,which includes 100 years of weather, macroeconomic trends, demographics, employment trends, and financial markets.

Contestants will receive support from RMDS’s large pool of experts and data science professionals, training resources related to NLP and data science, plus a special forum at GRMDS.org for contestants to get questions answered and interact with other participants.

Ask, inquire and know the facts as democracy needs journalism!(Opens in a new browser tab)

AI Launch Data Science Competition...

The competition is expected to start accepting contestant registration on Tuesday January 26, with the challenge officially starting on March 1, 2021. The competition will end on March 21, which is when all contestants need to submit their solutions. An award ceremony is planned for March 28.

Top solutions will be awarded significant cash prizes and certificates of recognition. Other non-cash awards include internshipsor full-time opportunities with sponsor organization, RMDS Lab, and WorldData.AI.

Dr. Alex Liu is the CEO and Founder of RMDS Lab, President of Global Association for Research Methods and Data Science, Advisor, Harvard University Data Science Review and former Chief Data Scientist, IBM.

Mohd Naushad Khan

The political ambiguity in between JD-U, BJP and LJP and caste dynamics has not only confused the political parties but the voters as well. No one for sure can say how it is going to translate on the ground and what would be its likely impact. Will the political ambiguity and active involvement of smaller parties change the meaning and value of Muslim votes in Bihar polls?    

The value of Muslim votes has got changed after 2014 polls. But will it atter in Bihar polls?. We all know that the general election of 2014 was a turning point that redefined the meaning and value of Muslim votes.  Since then, a perception has been created in the minds of the people and the political class as well that Muslim votes have become irrelevant and they are now politically untouchable.

Gone are the days when political parties used to have Muslim faces as poster boy and these faces were much sought after on the dais during election rallies. Political parties took pride when there were large presence of Muslims in their rallies but now it seems they have become politically untouchable. Political parties, these days, particularly after 2014 polls are trying to maintain politically safe distance from Muslim and it is true for national and regional parties well. The regional parties want their votes but not their presence and solidarity.            

Prior to the 2014 polls, the significance of Muslim votes was determined by the fact that in at least 42 parliamentary constituencies the percentage of Muslims ranges in between 30 per cent and 95 per cent and there Muslims can play a decisive role. There are also 145 constituencies where the percentage of Muslims is between 10 and 20 per cent. In yet another 38 parliamentary constituencies the percentage of Muslims varies from 20 to 30 per cent. In all these places, the sizeable Muslim presence was believed to change the fate of a political party.

But 2014 polls proved this political arithmetic wrong because BJP managed to win from even the constituencies where the Muslim percentage was high or very high. This very notion changed the dynamics of Muslim votes and their political bargaining strength. However it can be true for Lok Sabha polls but not equally true for assembly elections. For some the value of Muslim votes will always be there but the perception of Muslim votes will keep on changing from time to time and from one place to another. Despite Muslim votes in political illusion their votes are virtually important for regional parties even today after the debacle of Congress party in national politics. The big question: Are Muslim votes significant in Bihar polls?

According to Afroz Alam, professor and head of the department of Political Science at MANNU, Hyderabad, “Numerically speaking, Muslims are 16.9 per cent of Bihar’s population with a sizable presence in 90 assembly seats out of 243 where they can tilt the electoral balance in favour of any party. But elections are not always mathematics. Firstly, because unlike 2015, the 2020 is going to witness greater divisions among Muslim votes. Substantially or marginally, they may be divided along party lines (RJD, JDU, MIM, JAP, AAP etc), leadership loyalty (FA Fatmi, Akhtarul Iman and so on), local dynamics (rivalry in competing groups) and sectarian lines (rise of Pasmanda in certain constituencies).

Secondly, there is a greater consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of BJP led alliance. Thirdly, political parties that are traditionally known as the recipient of Muslim votes failed to offer a creative, alternative and effective narrative to the voters of Bihar including Muslims as they remain divided and fragile publically and internally.”

“There is a strong possibility that the growing insignificance of Muslim votes will eventually lower the representability of Muslims,” he said.

On the issue of significance of Muslim votes, Praveen Rai, political analyst at CSDS said, “The marginalisation of Muslims in Indian politics after 2014 Lok Sabha elections is flawed and a political myth. The voting patterns and political choices of Muslim electorate changed with the decline of Congress dominance and rise of regional parties in the 1990s. The centralised Fatwa issued by Jama Masjid for the community to vote for a political party became redundant. The voting decisions of Muslims in state and local elections were determined by local issues and candidates. The primacy of national political narrative and the religious identity of local candidates did not matter for Muslims while exercising their franchise.” 

“The community will play a significant role in Bihar elections though their votes will be divided between the JD(U), RJD and the AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi. The Muslim voters are solicited by all political parties at ground zero and are electorally pampered. The increased votes of Muslims for the BJP in state elections in the last few years debunk the concept of their sidelining in Indian politics,” he said. “I don’t think that it is appropriate to use the expression “political untouchable”’ for Muslim voters of Bihar. Although it is true that Hindutva hegemony dominates the political discourse of election so far, Muslin communities are approached through informal networks at the constituency level. The purpose of the political parties including BJP is to make winnable configurations. For that reason no one can ignore Muslim presence in the state,” said Hilal Ahmed, noted scholar on Muslim polity and author of Muslim Political Discourse in Postcolonial India: Monuments, Memory, Contestation, who is also associate professor at CSDS while sharing his perspective on the significance of Muslim votes in Bihar.

Hindi or Hindustani, because of its richness, popularity and wide use and acceptance, once held the promise of becoming the lingua franca of our country. But soon after Independence our leaders politicised the issue of the national language. This was primarily to allure the non-Hindi speaking people for political gains. It was politics with language that paved way for English to move parallel with Hindi. Today English has left Hindi behind in practically all walks of life.

According to Article 343/1 of the Constitution, the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagri script. However for a period of 15 years from the operation of the Constitution, the English language continued to be used for all official purposes of the Union.

Inconsistent approach towards Hindi

Four decades down the line, it continues to be so as a result of a series of amendments. Article 351 imposes a duty on the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of India’s composite culture.

At the same time, there is a provision enshrined in our Constitution that even if a small State hesitates to consider Hindi as the official language, Hindi can never acquire the status of an official language.

This shows an inconsistent approach towards Hindi by the “well-wishes” of our nation. Hindi has always served as a glue for our diversity. Different language-speaking groups have contributed their mite to the evolution of Hindi.

People from all parts of the country, besides their regional languages, learned Hindi to join the national mainstream. It appeared to be “a mosaic of distinct cults, gurus, rishis, sufis, saints and kings “.

Use of Hindi by social reformers evoked huge response

Later, social reformers like Swami Dayanand  Saraswati and great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Subash Chandra Bose, Nehru and posts like Tulsidas used and practiced Hindi in their discourses, as it evoked a huge response. Not only this even great writers, poets, journalists, teachers used Hindi, which was also the medium of instructions in schools, colleges and universities.

With the advent of the British, the language situation went bad to worse. And although the British have left, they are still governing us through their language. Some of the countrymen deliberately avoid Hindi in favour of English.

If they can learn English besides their own language, then why not Hindi? Their claim of being well- versed in English draw our attention to the Nehru family, among others.

But even the Nehru Gandhis communicated in Hindi with the people of India. They are not the only to be blamed, as there has been a mushrooming of English in the country.

question remains

But the question remains: What led to the decline of Hindi? For one, successive governments failed to promote Hindi across the country. The dismal performance of Government-run schools and institutions failed to impart quality education to move at par with the requirements of the world.

It has become a well-established concept that English is what English does, in this computer age, which compels students to make a beeline for English- medium schools and colleges. Students either going for higher studies or while facing interviews for jobs, face an uphill task because of their Hindi background.

The knowledge of English nowadays has become a symbol of modernity, a means to earn bread and butter.

We should learn English because of its international character, but not at the cost of our own language. Doing so leads to the degradation of traditional norms and values of our society, for which India has been known down the ages.

People from all walks of life should come forward with a pledge to revive Hindi at all levels, and to project our country in its true colour at all international fora.

All regional and national political parties should strive towards arriving at a consensus on this issue of vital national interest, keeping on the backburner their personal or hidden agenda.

Only such an approach will ensure that Hindi is not “officially” replaced by English in our country one day.

question mark on healthcare system

The outbreak has put serious question mark on healthcare system of even the most advanced countries like US and other developed nations. For India, no one can say for sure how it will manage when the pandemic would be at its peak, the reflections of which are visible now from one record number of cases to another. India is now on third place in terms of number of cases and deaths after Brazil and America. Is India therefore ready for unprecedented rise in cases? We wish that India can contain the virus but it should also be ready for the worst?                          

alarm bell

With more than 78,000 cases in a single day, it has raised the alarm bell for every stakeholder. The government should think afresh about healthcare infrastructure in place, medical emergency preparedness and the support system. No doubt, the world at large is struggling hard to contain the virus. And therefore, in India, the Central and the state governments along with policy makers will have to put their heads together to address the crisis pragmatically without adding any political overtones.

The big question

With the number of cases rising at an alarming rate the challenges have no doubt increased manifold and therefore all should remain alert to combat the magnitude of the crisis that has been imagined from time to time. The big question: What really went wrong with India’s healthcare system? Why the measures of policy makers and government did not match with the nature of the crisis? Notably, the ministry of health and family welfare spent Rs 3,948 crore in May this year as compared to Rs 7,816 crore in the corresponding month of the previous year. Is it not surprising to note when we are fighting the pandemic?

According to Dr. Meena Mishra, Chairperson of Brian Behaviour Research Foundation of India, “There have been strenuous and rapid efforts at increasing beds and testing during the lockdown and the efforts have been fruitful to certain extent. Government has been focusing on prevention and rightly so. But the facilities in place for treatment of moderate to severe cases in terms of numbers are majorly lagging and any unprecedented rise in moderate to severe cases will blatantly expose the reality of our health infrastructure- manpower and technical both.”  

Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses in systems

However, Siddhi Trivedi, CEO Beowulf Proof Works said, “Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses in systems and processes not only in India but in the entire world. Therefore it is essential to identify the need to ensure sufficient equipment is available; provide extra financial resources; expand insurance coverage; recruit more healthcare staff and arrange more hospital beds and isolation wards. It’s obvious why India has failed to contain the virus; the country has neglected to provide healthcare capacity for the 50 million households who are pushed into poverty due to prohibitive healthcare costs. The poorest have been left stranded to fend for themselves faced with starvation and left vulnerable to the virus with no access to healthcare support.”

“The fact that social determinants of health play key role in equity, all efforts should be made for multi-stakeholder engagement in design and delivery of an inclusive and pluralistic Universal Healthcare Cover (UHC)-driven healthcare system. A country that is blessed with excellent technology capability, it’s disappointing to note how it has failed to harness digital health tools to predict, analyse, plan and optimize healthcare provision for those most at risk.  If the country doesn’t contain the virus, the pandemic will continue to erode its economic growth that may take decades to recover,” said the CEO of Beowulf Proof Works.

 “India for too long has allowed the private health sector to grow with little regulation. The lack of alignment between the public and private sectors has been clearly exposed with COVID-19 testing and treatment in India. The cost of COVID-19 testing in the private sector is non-affordable to many. Private hospitals have been reluctant or unable to deal with patients with COVID-19, resulting in a huge crisis in the management of COVID and non-COVID-19 patients in the country,” said Dr. M Wasim Ghori, Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, London and executive Director of Medical and Health Information Management Association.

Ghori added, “The country needs all hands on deck during and after this crisis – both public and private sectors must work together and deliver universal health coverage for all citizens. India’s health system strengthening efforts can no longer afford to trudge along at its previous glacial pace. The onus of governance rests with the government, which needs to set standards, invest resources, ensure quality and strategically purchase services from the private sector, as needed. We should channelize this unprecedented attention on healthcare and direct the energy towards developing a stronger, sustainable, reliable health system for India.”

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the results of the prestigious Indian Civil Services Exam 2019 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Nonetheless, it has thrown up several stories of grit, motivation and inspiration with candidates from diverse backgrounds making it to India’s elite administrative service.

One such candidate is Sufiyan Ahmed; a native of Nimbahera, a small town in Chittorgarh district, Rajasthan. He is an architecture graduate from Aligarh Muslim University with a Master’s degree from IIT Kanpur and hails from a well-educated family with two elder academically bright sisters and an equally brilliant elder brother too. Father Imtiyaz Ahmed- a Retired School Principal of repute and mother Shama Nasreen – a Retired School Teacher have always supported and encouraged him to do better in life.  Elder brother Bilal Arshad, a QA/QC Pharmaceutical professional himself backed Sufiyan too all along his journey.

From zero knowledge and background in Civil Services to All India Rank 303, it has been one hell of a roller coaster ride for Sufiyan Ahmed. Grandson of an Imam, it was at Aligarh that he first learnt that there was a career in Civil Services. “I used to participate in group discussions revolving between Power and Money and which of the two has the greatest impact on the communities. Thus, I began nursing my dream of joining Civil Services,” said Sufiyan on phone from his hometown. He joined Zakat Foundation of India-funded coaching and later the Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) at Jamia Millia Islamia and cracked the Civil Services Exam in third attempt.

He first sat for the Civil Services Exams in 2017 and cleared both Prelims and Mains but couldn’t make it to the final list. Surprisingly, he didn’t qualify even the prelims in 2018 and felt dejected. “I was devastated after two successive failures, but I analysed my mistakes and told myself that I can bounce back. Sometimes it doesn’t happen alone. You need someone to chip in with you in tougher times and for this no better than my uncle (mother’s brother) Dr. Wasim Ghori, a UK Alumni and Consultant Diabetologist in Mumbai who motivated me to attempt again,” said Sufiyan.

“Since Sufiyan was frustrated at the failure in second attempt in 2018, I invited him over at Punjab Bhavan, New Delhi with the sole purpose to re-instil self-belief and confidence so that he could start his exam preparations with a fresh perspective and a positive frame of mind. Furthermore, I took him to an iftar invitation at the Parliament House Annexe so that he could meet and interact with Bureaucrats, Consul Generals and Ambassadors from different countries. The intention was to silently remind him of his vision for which he had opted for Civil Services in the first place,” recalled Dr. Ghori whose father Abdul Salim Ghori (Sufiyan’s grandfather) had a great influence in charting out the family’s course. “The biggest contribution of my Uncle (Dr. Ghori) in my life is that he motivated me to aim high in life. For him being satisfied with small things when bigger things can be achieved is an injustice to one’s own talents and gifts,” said Sufiyan. 

“I am sure Sufiyan will attempt again and improve his rank next year. He is a role model and the “Roger Barrister of his hometown, Nimbahera” said Dr. Ghori.

Sufiyan also reflected that being a full-time resident at the RCA for two years has helped him meet students from diverse backgrounds and interacting with them has shaped his personality. “I come from a small town in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district and understand the problems rural India face. But living with students from Manipur, Kerala and Kashmir, I understood the diversity of the problems and challenges the country faces and how issues are unique to a region,” he said.

Sufiyan added that the RCA is different from other coaching centres as it has an entrance examination and only those who are serious about the examination are admitted here. “At a private coaching institute, anybody who can pay the fee is in your class and not everybody has the required dedication. I graduated from IIT – Kanpur after studying design and was the only person from my class that did not sit for placements and gave up on a job. This is how serious I was about serving the nation,” said Sufiyan.

Speaking about his achievements, Sufiyan said “when the chips are down talk to someone who lend their ears to you. Keep your ego out and discuss with peers and seniors. Share knowledge and be inquisitive to gain knowledge and the more you do, the more it comes back to you. Surround yourself with people who are optimistic and are ready to have a healthy discussion with you”.

Sufiyan adds that the entire town and family are ecstatic with these developments and understandably so. His father Imtiyaz Ahmed says “I want my son to work with utmost honesty and integrity in whichever services he opts for”. The same sentiments were echoed by mother Shama Nasreen who is delighted at the success of her younger son. 

Grand-father Abdul Salim Ghori had encouraging words to add too “Sufiyan has become a source of inspiration to many youngsters; I am sure that he will contribute towards Nation-building and serve the under-privileged sections of our great country India to the best of his abilities”. Grand-mother Zainab Ghori – an accomplished Mumbai-based Retired School Administrator extends her blessings to grandson Sufiyan as he looks forward to serving the nation in the coming years.

The writer is a Delhi based journalist.