Prime Minister Narendra Modi
India's Modi unveils $1.3tn infrastructure plan 'for next 25 years'
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched an ambitious 100 trillion rupee ($1.3 trillion) plan for integrated infrastructure development aimed at creating employment for hundreds of thousands of people and strengthening the economy, reports Nikkei Asia.
"With the resolve of a self-reliant India, the foundation of India for the next 25 years is being laid," Modi said, adding that the plan will promote next-generation infrastructure and improve transport connections.
Read: Covid vaccine: India's Covaxin gets emergency use approval for kids aged 2-18
The plan, called PM Gati Shakti, "will give impetus to the 21st-century India," he said. "PM" stands for "prime minister," while "Gati Shakti" is a Hindi expression meaning "the power of speed."
An official statement issued ahead of the launch said the project will provide integrated connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. It also aims to create "last-mile" infrastructure and reduce travel time for people.
The prime minister did not specify how the government plans to raise the 100 trillion rupees needed for the project.
Each government department will be able to monitor others' activities under the plan, providing critical data, while planning and executing projects in a comprehensive manner, the government said. The scheme "will help in synchronizing the activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance, in a holistic manner by ensuring coordination of work between them," the statement said.
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Modi had earlier spoken about the plan in his Independence Day address on Aug. 15.
"This scheme of more than 100 trillion rupees will result in new employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of youths," Modi said at the time. "Gati Shakti will also go a long way in making our local manufacturers globally competitive, and this will also develop new possibilities for the creation of future economic zones," he said.
India vaccinations cross 750 million
India on Monday delivered 6.7 million more doses of coronavirus vaccines till 6pm, administering more than 750 million doses in all, reports Hindustan Times.
At least 570 million people have received at least one dose, which means 60% of the eligible adult population has now received a shot.
“WHO (World Health Organization) congratulates India for scaling up Covid-19 vaccination at an unprecedented pace. While it took 85 days to administer the first 100 million doses, India reached 750 million doses from 650 million in just 13 days,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia region.
Read: India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage surpasses 73.82 Cr
The UN health body responded after Union minister for health and family welfare Mansukh Mandaviya announced the milestone achievement through a tweet, saying that the country’s vaccination drive continued was making new gains under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
‘Congratulations India! In the 75th year of independence, the country has crossed the figure of 75 crore vaccinations,” the health minister tweeted with hashtags #SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine and #AazadiKaAmritMahotsav.
So far, all eligible beneficiaries in six states and Union Territories -- Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh and Lakshadweep -- have received at least one dose.
In all, 180 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to the government’s Co-WIN dashboard.
Read: India to provide vaccines to Bangladesh if production goes up: Dr Hasan Mahmud
“The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of Covid-19 vaccination throughout the country. The country has also become home to more than 99% health care workers and frontline workers vaccinated with one shot of Covid vaccine,” said the health ministry in a statement.
On Monday, the member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region also resolved to work towards making ‘every school a health promoting school’, while also committing to safe school operations during the pandemic.
“Schools have an important role in promoting healthy lifestyles, life-long healthy behaviors and to nurture human capital for sustainable development of any society. We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure children from all socio-economic background, including those with special needs, benefit from healthy schools,” said Singh.
India's Modi to unveil $1.35 trillion infrastructure plan
India will soon launch a $1.35 trillion national infrastructure plan that will boost the country’s economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday as part of independence day celebrations, reports The Washington Post.
Wearing a flowing bright saffron-colored turban, Modi addressed the nation from New Delhi’s 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort to mark the 74th anniversary of India’s independence from British rule. He said the infrastructure plan will create job opportunities for millions of Indian youth.
Read:UAE flights: Indian Embassy working with authorities to address vaccination concerns, says envoy
“It will help local manufacturers turn globally competitive and also develop possibilities of new future economic zones in the country,” he said.
India’s economy, pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic, contracted 7.3% in the fiscal year that ended in March. Economists fear there will be no rebound similar to the ones seen in the U.S. and other major economies.
In his 90-minute speech, Modi also listed his government’s achievements since 2014 and hailed India’s coronavirus vaccination campaign.
“We are proud that we didn’t have to depend on any other country for COVID-19 vaccines. Imagine what would have happened if India didn’t have its own vaccine,” he said.
India has given more than 500 million doses of vaccines but its vaccination drive has been marred by its slow pace. About 11% of eligible adult Indians have been fully vaccinated so far.
Modi also said India was committed to meeting targets for the reduction of its carbon footprint. He said his government would invest more in electric mobility, solar energy and “green hydrogen” — which does not emit carbon dioxide — as part of its goal to make India energy independent by 2047.
Modi began his speech by praising India’s athletes who took part in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. India won one gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the games.
Read:Over 2,000 evaluated as landslide blocks India river
India celebrates its Independence Day a day after its neighbor Pakistan. The two separate states came into existence as a result of the bloody partition of British India in 1947.
The process sparked some of the worst communal violence the world has seen and left hundreds of thousands dead. It triggered one of the largest human migrations in history and some 12 million people fled their homes.
On Saturday, Modi announced that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
‘India open to engaging those who recognise the value of diversity’
A day after Washington announced that Antony J Blinken, the US secretary of state scheduled to arrive for a two-day visit of India on July 27, would raise the issues of human rights and democracy, New Delhi has stated on Sunday said that as a long-standing pluralistic society, India is “open to engaging those who now recognise the value of diversity”, reports The Indian Express.
During his visit, Blinken will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will also meet him.
Read:India's Oxygen Express arrives in Bangladesh
Sources in the Indian government said that “issues such as human rights and democracy are universal and extend beyond a particular national or cultural perspective”, and that “India is proud of its achievements in both domains and is always glad to share experiences”.
“As a long-standing pluralistic society, India is open to engaging those who now recognise the value of diversity,” sources said on Sunday, obliquely underlining the polarised and divided nature of society in the US.
On the regional security situation, sources said, “Implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens, will be part of the agenda.”
In the defence domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration. This will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. These will be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year.
Sources said that discussions will cover containment of Covid-19 and Covid-19 recovery efforts. “India will press for gradual resumption of international travel, while maintaining health protocols, especially easing mobility of students, professionals, business travellers, family reunions, humanitarian cases.”, a source said. The need for resilient supply chains of critical medicines and healthcare equipment is likely to come up.
Sources said that discussions on deepening Quad engagement will be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. The talks will also “take forward Quad vaccine initiative to enable supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022, to countries in Indo-Pacific region”.
Read: Floods & landslides in India kill over 100
The Quad vaccine initiative was earlier scheduled to be launched at the end of 2022, and efforts are now underway to advance it by the end of this year or early next year.
The two sides will also exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with focus on Covid assistance, economic slowdown and security scenario. Latest developments pertaining to West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered, sources said.
“Climate change remains an important area of our conversation”, the source said, adding that “particularly potential for green collaborations as well as climate finance and transfer of clean technologies to developing countries”.
Sources said that India will also engage with the US on other global issues.
Stressing that “political and cultural rebalancing are important trends”, the source said that India supports a truly multipolar, democratic and diverse world order and expects international conversations to reflect this evolution. “We believe in equity and fairness, whether in development, climate change or global decision-making”, the source said.
Discussions will also cover working together in the UN, especially with India holding the Presidency of the UN Security Council in August 2021, the source said.
This will be Blinken’s first visit to India after assuming charge as the US secretary of state and the third by a high-ranking Biden administration official after it came to power in January, following those of Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in March, and Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry in April.
Read: India successfully test-fires home-grown anti-tank missile
Blinken’s visit reciprocates the visit by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the US in May 2021. The two leaders have also had detailed conversations this year in the UK (at the G7 meeting) and Italy (at the G20 meeting).
Sources said that India attaches considerable importance to his visit and looks forward to taking forward the conversation with the US on numerous issues, be it bilateral, regional, addressing Covid or global developments.
Lightning kills over 60 in India
As many as 60 people have been killed by dozens of lightning strikes across the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, officials said on Monday.
While 40 people died in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, some 20 lost their lives in the western state of Rajasthan as lightning and thunderstorm struck different parts of the two states on Sunday evening.
In fact, high velocity wind and thunderstorm lashed parts of northern and western India after a week of sultry weather.
Read:WhatsApp puts its new privacy policy on hold in India
"In Uttar Pradesh, the district of Prayagraj recorded the maximum number of deaths at 14. Women and children were among the deceased," a senior government official told the local media.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered officials to provide adequate compensation to the families of the dead. "We intend to give at least Rs two lakh to the bereaved families," the official said.
In Rajasthan, the capital Jaipur alone logged 11 of the 20 lightning deaths. "The deceased were mostly people taking selfies at a watch tower in front of the 12th century Amer Palace," a police official told the local media.
Read: India to maintain warships in Gulf zone to aid merchant ship
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted his condolences to the bereaved families.
"Many people have lost their lives due to lightning in some areas of Rajasthan. Deeply saddened by the demise of people. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those killed," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Governor Kalraj Mishra have also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the natural disaster.
Read: India’s Bharat Biotech says vaccine 93.4% effective against severe COVID-19
"The loss of lives due to lightning strikes in Kota, Dholpur, Jhalawar, Jaipur and Baran is very sad and unfortunate," Gehlot tweeted.
Lightning strikes are very common in India, particularly during the monsoon months of June, July and August. Every year, lightning claims over 2,000 people in the country.
Mamata Banerjee fined Rs 5 lakh for 'maligning judge'
A higher court in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Wednesday imposed a fine of 5 lakh rupees (7,000 USD) on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her "preplanned move to malign a judge".
Justice Kaushik Chanda of Kolkata High Court asked Mamata to deposit the fine before recusing himself from hearing a case filed by the firebrand woman politician challenging the election of her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram in May's assembly polls.
Read:Sheikh Hasina gifts 2,600kg mangoes to PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee
The Bengal Chief Minister had asked Justice Chanda to quit the case over "conflict of interest" in the wake of his alleged links with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Interestingly, Suvendu is BJP's leader of opposition in Bengal.
However, before exiting the case, an enraged Chanda came down heavily on Mamata. "Such calculative, psychological and offensive attempt to seek recusal need to be firmly repulsed and a cost of 5 lakh rupees is imposed upon the petitioner."
On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.
Though her Trinamool Congress party swept back to power with a resounding majority, Mamata lost her own seat in Nandigram to BJP's star campaigner Suvendu by a thin margin of 2,000 votes.
Read: Mamata Banerjee challenges her rival's election win
Last month, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win null and void on the grounds that he indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.
"Suvendu Adhikari has indulged in several corrupt practices that have enhanced his winning chances and materially altered Mamata Banerjee's chances of success in the election," her petition read.
In her petition, Mamata also alleged discrepancies in the counting of votes, Mamata's lawyer Sanjay Bose had said.
Read:Mamata Banerjee sworn in as Bengal CM
Though Mamata had conceded defeat to Suvendu in Nandigram -- the potboiler of the assembly election in Bengal -- the Trinamool supremo said on the counting day only that she would challenge the result in a court of law. "I will move the court against Suvendu's win," she had said.
West Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state elections. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development" after nearly 50 years of Communist and Trinamool Congress rule.
Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar dies
Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar died at a private hospital in India's financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday. He was 98.
The 'Tragedy King of Bollywood' was admitted to the premier Hinduja Hospital last week after he complained of breathlessness. In fact, he had been in and out of the hospital over the past few years with age-related illnesses.
"Dilip Kumar passed away due to prolonged illness at 7.30 am," Dr Jalil Parkar, a doctor who had been treating the thespian at the hospital, told the local media.
Read:Bollywood actor Fatima behind Aamir Khan's divorce?
The actor's family friend, Faisal Farooqui, also confirmed the death on his Twitter handle. “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip saab a few minutes ago. We are from God and to him we return."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too took to social media to offer his condolences to the family and fans of the cinematic legend.
“Dilip Kumar ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world," Modi tweeted.
Read:Superstar Aamir Khan, filmmaker wife announce divorce
On Monday, his actress-wife of 50 years, Saira Banu, tweeted: “We are grateful for God's infinite mercy on Dilip Saab that his health is improving. We are still in hospital and request your prayers and duas so that Insh'Allah he is healthy and discharged soon.”
Born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar (now in Pakistan) in 1922 before the partition of India, Dilip Kumar acted in 65 films in an illustrious career spanning five decades.
A trendsetter in Bollywood who inspired generations of actors, Dilip Kumar won hearts of millions in India with his all-time greats like Mela, Naya Daur, Ganga Jumna, Devdas and Mughal-e-Azam. He last acted in a film in 1998.
Read: Bollywood: 'There is no life without you'
Apart from a number of film awards, Dilip Kumar was conferred with two of India's highest civilian awards.
"To us actors, he was The Hero. #DilipKumar sir has taken an entire era of Indian cinema away with him," aptly summed up Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar in a tweet.
India signs joint statement at G-7 for freedom of expression: ‘Internet curbs threat to democracy’
India Sunday signed off on a joint statement by G-7 and guest countries on “open societies” that reaffirm and encourage the values of “freedom of expression, both online and offline, as a freedom that safeguards democracy and helps people live free from fear and oppression”, reports The Indian Express.
The statement also refers to “politically motivated internet shutdowns” as one of the threats to freedom and democracy.
The ‘Open Societies Statement’ was adopted at the end of an outreach session titled ‘Building Back Together—Open Societies and Economies’, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited as a lead speaker.
Read:G7 must ensure vaccine access in developing countries: UN experts
Participating through video-conference, Modi said that “democracy and freedom were a part of India’s civilisational ethos”. However, he “shared the concern” expressed by several leaders that “open societies are particularly vulnerable to disinformation and cyber-attacks”.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi also stressed on the need to ensure that “cyberspace remains an avenue for advancing democratic values and not of subverting it”.
The joint statement was signed by the G-7 countries, and India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa, with host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling them “Democracies 11”.
While the statement is directed at China and Russia, India has been under scrutiny over Internet curbs in Jammu and Kashmir even as the Government is locked in a face-off over its new IT rules with tech giants such as Twitter, which described a police search at its offices in India last month as a “potential threat to freedom of expression”.
The joint statement at G-7 said: “We are at a critical juncture, facing threats to freedom and democracy from rising authoritarianism, electoral interference, corruption, economic coercion, manipulation of information, including disinformation, online harms and cyber attacks, politically motivated internet shutdowns, human rights violations and abuses, terrorism and violent extremism.”
It is learnt that New Delhi signed off on the statement after making its reservations known to the negotiators from G-7 countries. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had participated in the G-7 Foreign Ministers meeting in May, had said that “open societies and personal freedoms require careful nurturing. Must be on guard against fake news and digital manipulation.”
However, Indian government sources said that India doesn’t have any reservations on the final joint statement. “We have signed off on it,” a source said. Sources also pointed out that while the the statement is directed at China and Russia, the situation in India was not discussed at the G-7 meeting.
Read:G-7 leaders agree on vaccines, China and taxing corporations
The “open societies” statement also affirmed “human rights for all, both online and offline, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, and opposition to any form of discrimination, so that everyone can participate fully and equally in society”.
It said that democracy includes “each citizen’s right to vote in free and fair elections and everyone’s right to assemble, organise and associate peacefully, within a system of accountable and transparent governance”.
It also committed to “strengthen open societies globally by protecting civic space and media freedom, promoting freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of religion or belief, and by tackling all forms of discrimination, including racism.”
For India, these are important commitments amid global concern over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that was cleared by Parliament in 2019.
Another G-7 statement — not signed by India and other outreach countries — hit out at China on “human rights and fundamental freedoms” in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and the unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the South China Sea. It also called for a transparent and timely WHO Covid origins study in China.
On the second day of the outreach sessions, Modi also took part in another session titled ‘Building Back Greener: Climate and Nature’. Highlighting the non-democratic and unequal nature of global governance institutions, he called for the reform of the multilateral system as the best signal of commitment to the cause of Open Societies, the PMO said.
In the session on climate change, the Prime Minister highlighted that the planet’s atmosphere, biodiversity and oceans cannot be protected by countries acting in silos, and called for collective action on climate change.
Read: As summit ends, G-7 urged to deliver on vaccines, climate
Speaking about India’s “unwavering commitment” to climate action, he mentioned the commitment by Railways to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2030. He stressed that India is the only G-20 country on track to meet its Paris commitments.
Modi also took note of the increasing effectiveness of the two major global initiatives nurtured by India — the CDRI and International Solar Alliance.
The Prime Minister stressed that developing countries need better access to climate finance, and called for a holistic approach towards climate change that covers mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer, climate financing, equity, climate justice and lifestyle change.
Covid-19: Why ‘world’s pharmacy’ India is short on shots
Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the United Nations his country would make enough COVID-19 vaccines “to help all humanity.” Now India is struggling to meet its own domestic needs for the shots amid a startling surge of infections.
As the world’s largest maker of vaccines, India always was expected to play a pivotal role in global efforts to immunize against COVID-19. But a mixture of overconfidence, poor planning and bad luck has prevented that from happening.
Read:India suffers double blow as black fungus declared epidemic amid COVID-19 surge
Here’s a look at what went wrong:
CAUGHT OFF GUARD
Officials in India seemed to have been caught off guard by several things, including the speed at which vaccines were approved for use around the world. India like many other countries had been working under the assumption that vaccines wouldn’t be ready for use until mid-2021.
Instead, they started being greenlit in some countries in December — upping the pressure to not only produce but deliver promised shots as soon as possible. India, which approved two vaccines in January, turned out to not be ready for the eventual demand either at home or abroad.
The government’s plan had been to vaccinate 300 million of the India’s nearly 1.4 billion people by August. But it hadn’t actually reserved even close to enough shots to do so. It had just assumed — partly based on projections from the country’s vaccine makers — that there would be enough doses to both vaccinate people at home and fulfill promised orders abroad.
There also was little domestic urgency because India’s infections had been declining consistently for months. In fact, in January, just days after India kicked off its domestic vaccination campaign and also started exporting shots, Modi declared victory over the pandemic at a virtual gathering of the World Economic Forum.
Modi’s government seemed to bask in the early success of its so-called “vaccine diplomacy” and the Foreign Ministry reiterated time and again that exports were calibrated according to the needs of the domestic immunization program.
Experts say that turned out to be a dangerous miscalculation as an explosion of domestic cases was just around the corner.
Dr. Vineeta Bal, who studies immune systems at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune city, said the government should’ve been planning for the future instead of celebrating its “victory” over the virus.
“I’ve no idea why people didn’t think about it,” she said. “Did no one do the calculation ... of how many doses will be needed in India?”
PRODUCTION PROBLEMS
India has two main COVID-19 vaccine producers: the Serum Institute of India, which is making the AstraZeneca vaccine, and Bharat Biotech, which is making its own local vaccine.
India allowed the companies to start producing their shots last year as they waited for formal approval from regulators. Both the government and the companies thought that by the time the shots were approved they would have larger stockpiles of the vaccines than they did.
Read:India's COVID-19 tally rises to 26,289,290 with over 250,000 new cases
Scaling up manufacturing has turned out to be a problem for both companies.
Serum Institute’s chief executive, Adar Poonawalla, told The Associated Press in December that the target was to make up to 100 million shots monthly by January and to split them equally between India and the world. But the federal government told states last month that the company was producing just 60 million shots a month.
The company has said that a fire in its facilities in January and a U.S. embargo on exporting raw materials needed to make the jabs has hobbled production. Poonawalla told AP that pivoting away from suppliers in the U.S. could result in a delay of up to six months.
Bharat Biotech chairman Krishna Ella told reporters in January that the company was aiming to make 700 million shots in 2021. But India’s federal government told states last month that the company was producing just 10 million shots a month.
The government said last month that it was giving the company millions of dollars in grants to try to help it ramp up production.
Neither company nor India’s Health Ministry responded to requests for comment.
WHAT NEXT?
With India recording hundreds of thousands of new infections each day, the government on May 1 opened up vaccination to all adults. That caused a surge in demand that has laid bare the extent of the shortage.
India has so far received just 196 million shots, including 10 million as a part of COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at providing equitable access to vaccines. Just 41 million people have been fully vaccinated, while 104 million more have received the first shot.
But the number of shots administered has declined from an average of 3.6 million a day on April 10 to about 1.4 million a day on May 20.
To help with the shortage, India has greenlit the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, and 200,000 doses of it arrived last week.
Read:India to begin clinical trials for Covd-19 vaccine in children
The government says supplies will improve soon and expects more than 2 billion shots to be available between August and December, according to Dr. V.K. Paul, a government adviser. That would include 750 million shots made by Serum Institute, 550 million shots made by Bharat Biotech and 156 million shots from Russia.
There also are plans for five Indian companies to make the Russian vaccine locally and for Serum Institute to make a version of the Novavax vaccine and vaccines from five other Indian companies whose shots are still being tested.
But experts warn that such estimates are once again too optimistic.
“These are optimistic estimates ... there are many ifs and buts that one needs to consider,” said Bal.
India’s virus surge damages Modi’s image of competence
India’s hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients, relatives of the sick scrambled to find supplies of oxygen, and crematoriums were running near full capacity to handle the dead.
Yet despite those clear signs of an overwhelming health crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed ahead with a densely packed campaign rally.
“I have never seen such a huge crowd before!” he roared to his supporters in West Bengal state on April 17, before key local elections. “Wherever I can see, I can only see people. I can see nothing else.”
Also Read: India reports over 380,000 new cases, tally at 20,665,148
As another deadly wave of COVID-19 infections was swamping India, Modi’s government refused to cancel a giant Hindu festival. Cricket matches, attended by tens of thousands, carried on, too.
The catastrophic surge has badly dented Modi’s political image after he drew praise last year for moving quickly to lock down India’s nearly 1.4 billion people. Now, he’s been called a “super-spreader” by the vice president of the Indian Medical Association, Dr. Navjot Dahiya.
With deaths mounting and a touted vaccine rollout faltering badly, Modi has pushed much of the responsibility for fighting the virus onto poorly equipped and unprepared state governments and even onto patients themselves, critics say.
“It is a crime against humanity,” author and activist Arundhati Roy said of Modi’s handling of the virus. “Foreign governments are rushing to help. But as long as decision-making remains with Modi, who has shown himself to be incapable of working with experts or looking beyond securing narrow political gain, it will be like pouring aid into a sieve.”
The 70-year-old, whose image as a technocrat brought him deep approval from a middle class weary of corruption and bureaucratic dysfunction, has been accused of stifling dissent and choosing politics over public health.
When the official COVID-19 death toll crossed 200,000 — a number experts say is a severe undercount — Modi was silent.
His government says it is on a “war footing,” ramping up hospital capacity, supplies of oxygen and drugs.
“The present COVID pandemic is a once-in-a-century crisis,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told The Associated Press. “All efforts are being made to overcome the situation by the central government in close coordination with the state governments and society at large.”
When Modi won national elections in 2014, he presented himself as someone who could unlock economic growth by merging business-friendly policies with a Hindu nationalist ideology.
Critics saw him as craving power over the national welfare and catering to his Hindu nationalist base. They blamed him — although courts exonerated him — in the bloody 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat state, where he was chief minister.
The economy tumbled after his government overhauled India’s cash supply and introduced a goods and services tax. Yet, he easily won reelection in 2019 on a wave of nationalism following clashes with archrival Pakistan.
Despite a second term marred by a souring economy, widening social strife, and deadly clashes with neighboring China, “Modi has proven to be incredibly politically resilient,” said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
When the coronavirus hit, Vaishnav said Modi took an approach different from former President Donald Trump and current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“He never called the virus a hoax. He took it seriously. He encouraged mask-wearing, social distancing. He encouraged the sorts of things health authorities everywhere have been calling for,” he added.
The strict lockdown, imposed on four hours’ notice, stranded tens of millions of migrant workers who were left jobless and fled to villages with many dying along the way. But experts say the decision helped contain the virus and bought time for the government.
Cases rose when the country started reopening in June 2020, and the government developed emergency infrastructure plans. When the wave receded and reported cases plummeted over the winter, many officials saw it as a triumph. States dismantled makeshift hospitals and delayed adding ICU beds and ventilators.
The government had sought to create 162 oxygen plants earlier, but has only built 38. It says 105 more will be built this month.
The fragile health care system was not upgraded enough, said Gautam Menon, a science professor at Ashoka University, “and with the current surge, we’re seeing precisely the consequences of not doing this.”
Also Read: India's COVID-19 tally crosses 20 million
When cases ebbed in January, Modi crowed about India’s success, telling the World Economic Forum that the country “has saved humanity from a big disaster by containing corona effectively.”
His ruling Bharatiya Janata Party hailed his “visionary leadership,” making India a “proud and victorious nation in the fight against COVID.”
In mid-March, tens of thousands attended cricket matches against England at Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat, an event that swelled national pride even amid warnings that infections were climbing.
On March 21, advertisements on the front pages of newspapers read, “Beautiful Clean Safe,” as Modi and a political ally welcomed Hindu devotees to the Kumbh Mela, a pilgrimage to the Ganges River that drew millions throughout April.
By contrast, in March 2020, his government blamed a Muslim gathering of 3,000 for an initial spike in infections in a move that triggered violence and boycotts, even as courts dismissed the accusations.
Critics have blasted the BJP for holding election rallies packed with tens of thousands of unmasked supporters, particularly in West Bengal. Other parties also campaigned to large crowds. Bowing to criticism, Modi began appearing over video instead of live, but the crowds remained.
Though his party was defeated in the state, analysts say he still enjoys popularity nationwide.
Meanwhile, India’s vaccination campaign begun in January has sputtered amid perceptions the virus was defeated. Only 10% of the population has received one shot and fewer than 2% have gotten both since it began in January.
The latest effort to inoculate those between 18 and 44 has been left to states and the private sector — an approach that critics say will make it easier for the government to pass blame when problems arise. Already, several states have said they don’t have enough vaccine to even start.
The surge has sparked assistance from overseas, a reversal of India’s earlier success at “vaccine diplomacy” when it exported 64 million doses. Some say Modi’s flagship self-sufficiency campaign, known as “Make in India,” is being undermined.
“India has long sought to project itself as a strong nation that need not be dependent on any other. Its immediate need for international assistance flies in the face of that image,” said Michael Kugelman of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center.
Some Modi supporters are lashing out. When BJP lawmaker Kesar Singh Gangwar died of the virus in Uttar Pradesh state, his son said Modi’s office didn’t help.
“What kind of government is this? What kind of PM is Modi?” said Vishal Gangwar. “If he cannot provide treatment to a lawmaker of his own party, what is happening to a common man is anybody’s guess.”
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To circumvent such criticism, the government ordered Twitter to remove posts criticizing his pandemic response. In BJP-run Uttar Pradesh, authorities recently charged a man over a tweet pleading for oxygen for his dying grandfather, accusing him of “circulating a rumor,” as top officials deny widespread oxygen shortages.
“To blame social media or users for either critiquing or begging for help is just — I mean, what are their priorities? To help people or silence criticism?” said digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa.
The level of urban and middle class anger at Modi is unprecedented, political analyst Vaishnav said, although it is blunted by supporters who believe he can do no wrong.
“He shouldn’t be expected to solve all problems by himself. The government machinery which existed before him, full of corruption, is to blame,” said Sunil Saini, a driver in New Delhi. “My vote will go to Modi the next time too.”