Multiple strategies of pandemic battle

With the health system overstretched in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Assam surpassing its target of administering 3 lakh vaccines daily on the very first day of an intensified vaccination drive is a commendable achievement. Healthcare workers and everyone involved in the gigantic exercise must be congratulated for making it happen. Sustaining the momentum will depend on a steady flow of vaccine supplies by the Central government. The pandemic situation remains precarious despite steady improvement in most districts. The State government is exploring the idea of imposing stricter restrictions on the line of complete lockdown in areas having high infection in five districts. Remaining vigilant is a pragmatic strategy and putting stronger curbs on the movement and activities of people in these districts will be a pragmatic move. Meticulous planning will be required to carry on the intensified vaccination drive in these districts. The objective of imposing stricter restriction will be to keep people indoors in a bid to break the chain of transmission. A rush of people to vaccination centres will be a counter-productive and the ideal option can be organizing special camps in areas put under stricter restrictions. Maximum caution needs to be exercised in the unlocking process in other districts which have reported a significant decline in the positivity rates. The inter-district movement of people continues to be suspended so that gains from a decline in infection can be consolidated.

This, however, has also affected farmers who are dependent on public transport service to take their produce to weekly markets for direct selling to customers or traders. Agricultural Department in collaboration with the Food and Civil Supplies Department can put in place a system of procuring farm produce and making them available in markets in Guwahati city and other towns. Such a move could have been beneficial for both the farmers and end customers. It is an irony that many farmers have not been able to sell vegetables and pulses they produced due to the suspension of inter-district movement while skyrocketing prices have burnt holes in the pockets of consumers in Guwahati city and other urban areas. Due to small window of relaxation of curfew in Guwahati city, many farmers from nearby districts have not been able to bring their produce to the city markets. Unscrupulous traders have been taking advantage of the situation and charging exorbitant prices. The Indifferent attitude of the two key departments in learning the lessons from a similar situation during the country-wide lockdown in the first wave has led to such a gloomy situation in this current wave for many farmers as well as consumers. If such a situation continues for a longer duration many farmers will be left with no savings for investment for a new season of cultivation which is not warranted in a state which depends on supplies from outside the state to meet its demand for many essential commodities including vegetables, eggs, poultry and milk products.

It is hoped that Assam Cabinet will pay special attention to the cascading effect of the pandemic restrictions on such economic activities and build the resilience of the farm families to cope with the situation. Skyrocketing prices of diesel have also pushed the input cost of farmers dependent on tractors for ploughing their cultivable land and carriage van to take their produce to the markets. The state government impressing upon the Central government to instruct the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to procure surplus paddy from Assam farmers can put more money into their hands. The FCI procurement will ensure the government notified Minimum Support Prices for paddy and other crops to the farmers. This will take away the worries of the state government of articulating new programmes of subsidising input cost which will only put more burden on the resources of the state. The state cabinet has decided to procure rice for Supplementary Nutrition Programme directly from the FCI in a bid to end the writ of the contractors will save huge money for taxpayers. The state government ensuring that the FCI procures the required quantities of rice to be supplied for the SNP programme from local farmers so that they can get remunerative prices for paddies they grow. The intensified vaccination drive across the country is driven by a model followed in the United Kingdom to ensure providing at least one dose to the maximum population of the country instead of fully vaccinating by providing two doses to a fewer population. Even this new vaccination strategy is not going to end the worries of a possible third wave or any subsequent wave, but the achievement of vaccinating the maximum population can certainly be expected to reduce the ferocity even if a new wave strikes. The disruption in normal life will continue till mankind decisively wins the battle against the COVID-19 virus. Building economic resilience of the country's population against pandemic shocks should be the central focus of multiple strategies.