The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected Indian states and Union Territories and Chhattisgarh has been no exception. Due to issues like lack of infrastructure and human resources, both rural and urban people were caged in the web of grief and misery wherein even to see one’s loved one who succumbed to COVID-19 became an act of privilege.
Focusing on the Rural Realities around the country during the pandemic, the Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS) and IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi by the joint efforts of Parmarth Sevi Sanstha (Uttar Pradesh) organised a panel discussion on Rural Realities | Chhattisgarh | Practitioners’ Experiences in Tackling the Second Wave in Indian Villages on 20 May, 2021.
This article is an excerpt of the presentation given by Mahima Kapoor and the IMPRI team, which provided an overview of the COVID-19 situation in India with special reference to Chhattisgarh to set the context for the broader discussion on the topic by the esteemed panellists.
About Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in the central region of India. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before it was granted statehood on 1 November, 2000. It shares borders with Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Chhattisgarh’s capital city is Raipur, with Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh being other major cities.
It has a population of 2.94 crores divided into five divisions of Bilaspur, Surguja, Durg, Raipur and Bastar, with further 28 districts. Scheduled Tribes make up 30.62% of the population. The tribals are an important part of the state population and mainly inhabit the dense forests of Bastar and other districts of south Chhattisgarh.
Looking at the socio-economic indicators, we see that Chhattisgarh’s performance is average. Its literacy rate and HDI score are below the national mean. In terms of per capita income and sustainable development goals, it ranks 25th and 11th, respectively. Chhattisgarh houses 77% of its population in rural areas, significantly higher than the national estimate.
COVID-19 Second Wave
During the pandemic, Chhattisgarh saw an accelerating increase in the number of new cases, which landed it in India’s top 10 worst-hit states. In the first wave, the new cases gradually increased to hit the peak at 3,896 on 25 September 2020.
The numbers in the second wave were roughly five times as compared to the first. It hit its peak at 17,397 on 23 April, 2021. In totality, the number of cases has been 9,25,531, out of which 88.9% have recovered and 1.3% succumbed. The rest, 9.8% are active cases, i.e. for every 100 confirmed cases, about 10 are currently infected.
To mitigate the spread of the virus, the state government has imposed strict regulations. In fact, Chhattisgarh ranks third in the severity of lockdown restrictions. It involves both rural and urban areas and night and weekend curfews. This curfew had been extended till 31 May.
Counting The Dead
As of 20 May, 2021, the death toll in Madhya Pradesh reached a total of 7,227 deaths, with a death rate of 1%. In Chhattisgarh, the pandemic situation had been improving. The positivity rate in the state came down to around 10% from 30% in April.
In terms of vaccinations as well, the state has geared up. So far, as of 18 May, 2021, 60,74,384 vaccines have been administered. About 20,000 vaccines are available for every 1,00,000 people, making Chhattisgarh third in case of availability.
Emerging Issues
There is a pertinent set of emerging issues faced by the state. The number of hospitals and medical staff had shot up, but there was pressure on ICU beds and testing kits. Vaccination of people in the 18–44 age group has been suspended due to non-availability.
On a positive tone, Chhattisgarh has become a lifeline for states in need of medical oxygen, such as Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat. As of 15 May, 2021, 114.93 MT of oxygen was supplied to the COVID patients of the state and 175.27 MT of oxygen to other states.
The state has been taking all the necessary steps to minimise the impact of the second wave and prepare for a third wave in moving towards a healthy and prosperous Chhattisgarh.
Ritika Gupta, Sakshi Sharda, Ishika Chaudhary, Ramya Kathal, Mahima Kapoor, Swati Solanki, Chhavi Kapoor, Arjun Kumar and IMPRI Team