Day 442: Second Wave – Observations from a small town

01/06/2021 Day 442 Second Wave - Observations from a small town Here are a few observations on healthcare services from a district town as the second wave of Covid-19 burnt through the country. In over two months of this public health and epidemic response struggle, a few things are apparent. India’s elected leaders, bureaucrats and … Continue reading Day 442: Second Wave – Observations from a small town →

Day 420: Looking back at India’s Containment Plan

08/05/2021 Day 420 Looking back at the Containment Plan Looking back at India’s Containment Plan of the Government of India in April 2021 it is striking that it did not build for scenarios as the current second wave. The keywords in the plan are policy decisions and technical inputs. In retrospect, that plan looks woefully … Continue reading Day 420: Looking back at India’s Containment Plan →

‘Let me go build a free hospital’: Indian Healthcare and CMC Vellore’s history

In thinking about healthcare systems - capability and capacity, a broad consensus in India is that the Indian state has failed in providing it. This diagnosis is broadly accepted. However, in thinking about responses to address the problems, it might be useful to not be completely led by experiences in the private sector - there … Continue reading ‘Let me go build a free hospital’: Indian Healthcare and CMC Vellore’s history →

Covid Cess: We will be paying for the pandemic for years

Taking the cess route to raise more revenues by the states and central governments was expected. As the pandemic hit a year's mark in March, 2021 it was clear that the people will be paying for the pandemic for years to come and in a variety of ways. Uttar Pradesh government is levying a covid … Continue reading Covid Cess: We will be paying for the pandemic for years →

Day 415: What’s wrong?

03/05/2021 Day 415: What's going wrong? More of watching the pandemic unfolding and governments’ response today. The trend maintains itself - as a state climbs up the chart of number of infections and deaths there begins a rapid regulatory failure of its key agencies. Drug regulator failed long back when the run on remdesivir began. … Continue reading Day 415: What’s wrong? →

May Day, 2021: The long road home

May Day of 2021 is unique in its context at least for Indian workers, if not for those around the world. Never in the history of independent India have we had such a large scale pauperisation, destruction of livelihoods and repeated displacement under distress. This was triggered by the two waves of Covid-19 pandemic. But … Continue reading May Day, 2021: The long road home →

Day 79: Howe and Strauss’ The Fourth Turning

11/06/2020 Day 79 This morning I began early because I have been frustrated about not being able to read and write enough as I sit here in the town. By this morning I was several unfinished posts behind. Though I keep notes on the way a day goes and what I did, I tend to … Continue reading Day 79: Howe and Strauss’ The Fourth Turning →

Day 73: Catching up

05/06/2020 Day 73: Catching up In writing these daily entries, I skipped a day of writing when I traveled. That lag has now amplified into being two days behind the current date in writing these entries. Losing ground starts with a minor thing, and when not fixed in time it grows into a larger problem … Continue reading Day 73: Catching up →

Day 61: New normal and public policy

24/05/2020 Day 61 As cases continue to rise Indian states are preparing to lift the lockdown. Right now, it is a soup of rules and movement restrictions. Karnataka has imposed a quarantine rule on those arriving in the state. They will have to undergo seven days of institutional and seven days of home quarantine. Over … Continue reading Day 61: New normal and public policy →

Day 37: Law and the Pandemic

30/04/2020 Day 37 I read Prof Baxi’s piece ‘Emerging Laws & Jurisprudence’ dwelling into ‘the exercise of the suo motu jurisdiction by courts’ in India’s fight against Covid-19. As always, his writing is a mixed bag. He places legal researchers ‘among the frontline of combatants against a sinister global pandemic’. Surely that would stand true … Continue reading Day 37: Law and the Pandemic →