2 July 21
Ram Suresh
www.mediaeyenews.com
The Covid pandemic has caused seismic shifts in economies, altered how businesses would be run, and laid bare the vulnerability of people irrespective of the region you live in, or how rich or poor you might be.
Doubtlessly, the biggest blow dealt by the upheaval is in the division of society between the “haves” and “have-nots”. While the fat cats are largely unscathed, the millions on the lower rung have plunged into misery. The gap between the two is as wide as the Grand Canyon and appears set to worsen. There will be consequences.
The class divide has all the ingredients of a heady cocktail that could become a flashpoint in the years ahead. It should be a major concern for everyone, especially for India where the gulf is starker.
Just as India was battling the deadlier second wave of the coronavirus, luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz launched in early June its marque Maybach sport utility vehicle in New Delhi. The company said 50 units of the opulent SUV, each costing around Rs.2.5 crore, were sold out even before the formal announcement.
Sport personalities and film celebrities topped the list of buyers for the “pinnacle of luxury” vehicle. There is nothing wrong to flaunt your wealth if you have the wherewithal. Actually, demand for cars or bikes or any other item is good for the economy because it creates jobs and the government gets taxes. The only irony is the context when this is happening, and illustrates the class divide.
The unorganised sector, which provides employment to the largest number of people, has been devastated by the pandemic. There have been massive job losses, and incomes of the middle class and poor have taken a heavy beating. Even some large companies have suffered. A 400-room luxury hotel in Mumbai ran out of funds and pulled down its shutters.
Worse, the coronavirus snuffed out the lives of thousands of breadwinners, leaving their families in dire straits. In many cases, both parents succumbed to the pandemic, orphaning their children and plunging other dependents into penury. It is a tough fight for survival for the vast majority. Sad stories abound of people having to sell their homes or tiny holdings to pay for hospital bills.
Giving free rations to the poor and needy, as well as stimulus packages to stricken sectors, are welcome measures. Much more must be done, however, to ensure jobs and incomes to the affected. State and Central governments must join hands to help people in distress, provide opportunities and hand out financial aid to soften the pain.
The scars are quite telling on children. With education shifting to online classes, poor children – both school and college going – have floundered due to lack of access to a computer or smart mobile. Weak and unreliable network connectivity in remote villages and small towns is also a major hurdle. There are instances of many children losing an academic year.
“Crores of children lack digital devices,” the Economic Times noted in an editorial, and ominously warned: “They are falling behind, probably falling out of school and education, and probably into a future of poverty, crime and violence.”
“It is vital to avert this tragedy.”
