COVID-19 has left India with subdued damage that will take more than just the Government’s effort to mend and alleviate. The second wave of the pandemic in India peaked on 9 May, 2021. The following are some dominant challenges that India faces as a country today:
1. Controlling The Spread Of The Virus
India is a densely populated country with 464 people/sq km. It is more than just a challenge to contain the virus once the country is up and running like usual. Practising social distancing in locals of Mumbai, crowded cities or widely spread slums of India is one of the most arduous and demanding challenges.
Cough hygiene and mask adoption are also predominantly absent in the country. More disturbingly, almost 160 million do not have access to clean water to sanitise or wash their hands.
2. Reviving The Economy
The 21-day lockdown imposed in 2020 put more tensity and strain on the already crumbling economy of India. This not only completely declined India’s growth but also pushed unemployment to a peak.
Almost 75% of India’s 100 million migrant workers became unemployed overnight. It was calculated that the retail industry would lose 10 million jobs while the restaurant industry would lose 1.5 million jobs and the transport industry would lose 5 million jobs.
According to reports, almost 15 million unregistered workers were left out of meagre government benefit packages.
3. Saving The Medical Sector From Collapsing
As per reports, India has only 0.8 doctors per 1000 people, which is comparatively less than Italy’s 4.1, China’s 1.8, Spain’s 4.1, Iran’s 1.1 and the U.S.A.s 2.6. India is also short on hospital beds, with just 0.7 hospital beds per 1000 population.
4. Sustaining Education In Rural Areas
With COVID-19 came the urgent need to completely shift the face of education in India. This highlighted India’s need to revisit and rethink the Indian Education System. It has been more than a year since school and college students saw their education campus, with no sight of that happening any time soon.
Almost 320 million children in India do not have access to digital facilities and other required equipment to continue their education.