Saga of Tragedy, Incompetence and Colossal Mismanagement

  • P. Chidambaram

The Congress Working Committee met today to consider specially the situation arising out of the pandemic, which is spreading like wildfire. India’s first case of COVID-19 was detected on 30-01-2020. India’s first vaccine shot was administered on 16-01-2021. Between the two dates, and thereafter, there is a saga of tragedy, incompetence and colossal mismanagement. As we meet today, the cumulative number of infections is 1,45,26,609 and the cumulative death toll is 1,75,673. By any measure, even allowing for our large population, India is among the most affected countries of the world. From the first day, the central government took over and exercised all powers and authority in respect of the pandemic. By virtue of the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act, every order or direction of the central government became ‘law’ and the state governments had no authority or freedom to design state-specific strategies and administrative measures. No Thinking, No Planning The initial response measures of the central government were ludicrous, to say the least. The Prime Minister went on national television to exhort people to clang plates; and after two weeks he went on national television to exhort people to light lamps. Medical experts held back their criticism of such superstitious rites; and knowledgeable persons cautioned the government that it ought to take scientific measures to confront the pandemic. Since there was no vaccine or cure, the only course that was feasible was containment. That required testing, tracking, tracing and treatment. However, at every step, the central government’s response was totally inadequate. In desperation, it fell back upon the strategy of a ‘lockdown’ that had been tried in other countries with mixed results. In the case of India, it was a sudden lockdown without any notice to the people — or even to the state governments — and without any preparation by the central government. The result was total chaos and a shutdown of all economic activity. Inevitably, there was mass reverse migration of millions of people — some estimates place it at 3 crore people — who walked hundreds of kilometres without money, without food, without medicines and without any help whatsoever. An estimated 198 people died on the way. The defining image of 2020 was the helpless migrant worker trudging along highways and railway lines completely abandoned by the State. It was a national humiliation. Meanwhile, on the eve of the third lockdown, the central government passed the buck to the state governments even while retaining the power to issue orders and directions. Worse, the central government did not release sufficient funds to the state governments to fight the worst medical emergency that the country had faced. Under the circumstances, cash-strapped state governments did their best to mobilize doctors, nurses, health workers, testing kits, hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, etc., to fight the pandemic. Thanks to the efforts of the state governments — and no thanks to the central government — the pandemic waned and there was a sense of relief. Nevertheless, experts warned the country that a second wave was possible and perhaps imminent. They cited the examples of several European and South East Asian countries. Thankfully, two vaccines had been developed in India and a few more were available in the world. This is where the central government failed miserably and paved the way for the havoc that is being caused by the second wave of the pandemic. Grave Errors, Colossal Mismanagement We charge the central government with colossal mismanagement of the war against the pandemic for the following reasons:  Failed to create sufficient public awareness that a waning pandemic could be a precursor to a second wave that may be more devastating than the first wave.  Failed to rapidly scale up the production and supply of the two approved vaccines in India by providing sufficient funds and other concessions, if sought.  Failed to resort to compulsory licensing and production of the two approved vaccines in other pharma manufacturing facilities in India.  Failed to universalize vaccination after health workers and front line workers had been vaccinated in Phase I.  Failed to get rid of pre-registration and bureaucratic control over the vaccination programme.  Failed to leave the vaccine roll-out to the state governments and public and private hospitals.  Failed to prevent, or at least minimize, the wastage of vaccine doses that stands at more than 23 lakh doses today.  Failed to maintain the scale and momentum of testing, tracking and tracing of infected persons and their contacts.  Failed to grant emergency-use approval to other vaccines that had got approval in the U.S., U.K., European Union and Japan under a misguided notion of atmanirbhar.  Failed to allow the import of other approved vaccines manufactured in other countries to augment the supply of vaccines.  Failed to adopt a need-based, fair and equitable allocation of the vaccine doses to the various states. Official data shows that several states governed by Opposition political parties got less than their fair share despite their need.  Failed to curb the exports of large quantities of vaccine doses to other countries. While some quantities should have been donated to small and developing countries, the zeal to export to rich countries was unwarranted.  Failed to provide adequate funds to the state governments that were fighting a two-front war — one against the pandemic and the other against the economic recession — despite accumulating hundreds of crores of rupees in the opaque PM-CARES Fund.  Failed to eschew the rhetoric—(the Prime Ministers who claimed that we will win the war against COVID in 21 days compared to the Mahabharata war that was won in 18 days) and self-congratulatory utterances (Ministers who proclaimed that the whole world has praised the manner in which the Prime Minister has tackled the pandemic).

India Earns Odium We regret to say that the nation is paying a very heavy price for the thoughtlessness and unpreparedness of the NDA government to tackle the gravest disaster that has hit the country and has affected millions of families claiming 1,75,673 lives so far. It is a shame that the country with the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing capacity has earned the odium of being among the most affected countries in the world. In conclusion, with a heavy heart, we caution the people that unless urgent corrective measures are taken the nation faces an unprecedented catastrophe. May Wisdom prevail!

Based on Press Briefing by Former Union Minister Shri P. Chidambaram on April 17, 2021