JRD Tata and GD Birla were early 20th century Indian business leaders who helped lay the foundations for Indian industry. Tata established various companies like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, and Air India. Birla established textile and other industries. Both supported India's independence movement and advocated for self-sufficiency in industry. In the post-independence era, India adopted a system of licenses and permits that constrained private business, but economic reforms since 1991 have enabled growth in private companies and India's rise as a global economic power. Key historical figures like Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar shaped India's character and political system.

1. Think of Development
Coronavirus outbreak will be confronted through
National Digital Health Mission.

2. Leadership, Development programs

3. Earlier story:
You can compete globally on three dimensions:
Efficiency, local responsiveness, and innovation.
Let us see a leader who showed an example.
J R D Tata did so much to lay the foundations of business
enterprise during the 20th century. India became a economic
superpower in the 21st century. With emphasis in India on
buying swadeshi, Tata’s NELCO subsidiary led a
transformation in which India went from importing nearly all
the approximately 2 million radios sold in the country annually,
to manufacture nearly all of them itself.

4. Tata, a leader who showed an example
In the 1960s, with India’s role in international politics and the
world economy increasing, J R D Tata looked abroad for
opportunities and formed Tata International AG and Tata
Exports to cultivate international markets for Tata products
and services. J R D also recognized the power of computers
and information technology and opened Tata Consultancy
Services, or TCS, In 1968. Tata’s TELCO opened an
Engineering and Development Research Unit that, five
years after its establishment in 1966, evolved into Tata
Motors.

5. During the same decade,
the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, or TELCO
created its own foundry and forging shop to construct truck
parts that had previously been imported, dramatically also of
increasing production and sales not only of trucks but thus
tractors, excavators, shovels, cranes, and back hoes,
spurring the growth of entire sectors of the Indian domestic
economy. In 1944, J R D T
ata and the other Indian business
leaders had formulated the Bombay Plan to chart the course
of India’s economic development. ‘Air India’ was also a Tata
enterprise _ now in trouble under government management..

6. BIRLAS AS INDUSTRIALSTS: In 1884 A.D. Baldeo Das Birla went to
Bombay in search of new avenues of trade. He established his firm Shiv
Narian Baldeo Das in Bombay in 1884 and Baldeo Das Jugal Kishore in
1897 in Calcutta. The firms started business in silver, cotton, grain and
other commodities.
Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Pilani village in
Jhunjhunu district, in the Indian state of Rajputana, He was a member of
the Maheshwari Marwari community. His father was Raja Baldevdas Birla.
Goods (mainly cotton) would be brought from the hinterland to the city and
sent from there by train to Bombay for export to England and other
countries. Several cotton ginning units were also set up in Ahmedabad, to
clean the cotton before shipment to England. In 1919, he became among
the first group of Indian entrepreneurs to become owner of a Jute mill
named Birla Jute.

7. In the next few years he acquired several cotton mills, also started several
sugar mills. The publication Hindustan Times was co-founded by G D Birla
in 1924. Hindustan Motors was started in 1942. After India's independence
in 1947 he started Grasim (Gwalior Rayon Silk Manufacturing, 1948) and
Hindalco (Hindustan Alum Company 1958) among others.
Baldeo Das, as well his sons were among the key supporters of the swaraj
movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in addition to being dedicated Hindu
activists. They were active supporters of the Banaras Hindu University
founded by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and were also financial supporters
of activities initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. GD Birla instructed his son
Basant Kumar to 'never utilize wealth only for fun and frolic,' to 'spend the
bare minimum on yourself,' and to deride 'worldly pleasures. This advice
symbolized the ethic of the rising Marwari community, with restraint and
austerity its defining attributes.

8. The emergence of a new class of entrepreneurs— like
Reliance, Infosys and Wipro, that took advantage of the
liberalization of the Indian economy to challenge established
Indian companies from within—
at the same time that these established companies were
facing the competitive threat from multinational companies
entering from abroad, created a dynamic competitive ecology
that was enormously healthy for the Indian economy.
Both Indian National Congress under PV Narasimha Rao &
Manmohan Singh and Bharathiya Janatha Party under Modi
supported this dynamic competitive ecology.

9. It was the three most important figures of twentieth century India:
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Bhimrao Ambedkar who
gave an enduring impact on the country's character and direction. Each
of them wrestled with India's religious traditions. Two ultimately rejected
them, whereas the third, Gandhi, harnessed the religious sensibilities of
the masses to pursue the goal of Indian independence. Gandhi, whose
success in maintaining a mostly non-violent struggle against the British
was an extraordinary feat of personal magnetism, continues both to
divide Indians and to haunt their dreams. It was Gandhi's ability that
converted the freedom struggle to a mass-based movement of all
Indians. Jawaharlal Nehru gave India a stable leadership after freedom
from the British rule. However, India in the early twenty-first century is an
increasingly self-confident, materialistic and globalised place.

10. In 1991 India sharply altered its economic course when it dismantled
the tight system of controls and permits known as the 'License Raj' that it
had adopted after independence. Since then, India has clearly been on
the economic ascent, capturing an ever greater share of software
markets in the United States and Europe and starting to develop a
manufacturing sector that can compete in world markets. The country
has also acquired the military trappings of an aspiring superpower: its
elites openly debate when — not whether — India will develop
intercontinental nuclear missiles. Gandhi's belief was that the village
should remain the main building block of Indian society. India is slowly
urbanising and it is hard to imagine what could stop the continuing
expansion of its cities. But Gandhians continue to believe the village
should occupy a holy place at the centre of Indian nationhood.

11. When Shri Narendra Modi invited leaders of all nations of
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) grouping for his oath-taking-ceremony, in 2014,
the foreign media and international leaders hailed it as a
move that could pave way for reforms as for as India’s
relationship with its neighbours was concerned.
While some called it a move that was meant to improve
‘trade ties’ as Shri Narendra Modi has been focusing on
pro-development and business agenda others called it a
strategic move to bring in peace talks.

12. Sab ka Saath, sab ka Vikaas
[Inclusive Development]
May 27, 2014
First Budget by Arun Jaitley, Modi’s FM:
 Trim expenditure,
Raise resources through encouraging private investment to revive
growth,
A program of disinvestment of public assets to mobilise funds from
the sale of the government’s stake in non-government companies.
Raise FDI in defense production units
In Sept. : Cleared the sale of partial stakes of Govt. in ONGC, CIL
and NHPC _etc.

13. • The Gandhian philosophy of non-violence finds its inspiration from this
concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
• To quote Dr. N Radhakrishnan, former director of the Gandhi Smriti and
Darshan Samiti, “The Gandhian vision of holistic development and
respect for all forms of life; nonviolent conflict resolution embedded in
the acceptance of nonviolence both as a creed and strategy; were an
extension of the ancient Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
• May be ‘Sab ka saath, Sab ka Vikas’. Also, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’
means: All [thieves like Nirav] are our brothers, let them be NR(J)I! Non
resident jailable Indians!

14. This gigantic idea (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) is an exclusively
Indian contribution to world peace. The underlying philosophy
of this ancient nation evolved a world-view based on the motto
"Loka samasta sukhina bhavantu" (Let the entire world be
happy) thousands of years ago. Surprisingly, the same
philosophy has now been thought of by the United Nations in
order to avoid global strife and fostering world peace.
It is not limited to the residents of India or the adherents of any
particular faith or creed. That is the reason why India receives,
accepts and respects people of all faiths and races.

15. Bhimrao Ambedkar gave India's most marginalised human beings their
first real hope of transcending their hereditary social condition. He saw
the caste system as India's greatest social evil, since it treated millions of
people as sub-humans by the simple fact of their birth. Ambedkar, who
was India's first untouchable to be educated abroad, was the principal
author of India's 1950 constitution, which enshrines equality of individuals
before the law and gives all adult Indians the right to vote, regardless of
caste or any other identity. Caste has not, as many had expected, given
way to class in terms of political loyalties. As the joke goes, 'In India you
do not cast your vote, you vote your caste’. It is true that the partition of the
country along religious grounds and the subsequent aftershocks led to
great bloodshed. India's strengths are also to be found in its deep well of
intellectual capital and technological prowess.

16. India is finally emerging as an important economic and political force on
the world stage while remaining an intensely religious, spiritual and, in
some ways, superstitious society is unusual by the standards of many
countries. Likewise, the fact that India, alone among large nations,
embraced full democracy before it had a sizeable middle class or
anything close to majority literacy among its voters was unique at the
time and remains so on this scale. The vast bulk of India's workforce
remains in the villages. India's economic engine is powered not
principally by its factories or by the manufacture of physical products but
by its competitive service industries. This might gradually be correcting
itself. But for the time being India's service sector has an economic
weighting that gives it more in common with mature, developed
economies, such as the United States or Britain.

17. Two times as Prime Minister: 2014 & 2019:
New Delhi, India. Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) was sworn in as India’s
fifteenth Prime Minister in 2014. Modi ran on a pro-
growth and anti-corruption platform, and his party
won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.
By electing the BJP by outright majority—282 of 543
seats—voters voiced their discontent at chronic
corruption scandals, high inflation and poor economic
growth.

18. Narendra Dāmodardās Modī was born on September 17,
1950, in Vadnagar, in Mehsana district of Gujarat.
After his schooling in Vadnagar he did his masters degree in
Political Science from Gujarat University.
Modi started as a Tea-Seller on Ahmedabad Bus Station.
He goes for made-to-order Modi kurta with hand-tailored
button holes.
He is at home in Western attire too.
Narendra Modi transformed Gujarat into a developmental
success story appreciated the world over. Now PM of
Bharath.

19. Endorsed by TIME
Narendra Modi transformed Gujarat into a
developmental success
story
appreciated the world over. TIME endorses his ten year long
journey of progress becoming “India’s most industrialized and
business friendly territory” it further identifies the drivers of his
success as “good planning-exactly what so much of India lacks,”
and a leader with the ability to get things done.

20. In March 2013, Shri Narendra Modi was appointed to the BJP
Parliamentary Board, the Party's highest decision making
body, and was chosen to be chairman of the Party's Central
Election Campaign Committee. On 10 June 2013, Shri
Narendra Modi was selected to head the poll campaign for
the elections at the national level executive meeting of BJP in
Goa.
A fortnight after he was anointed as BJP's Prime Ministerial
candidate, Shri Narendra Modi on Sunday relinquished the
post of election campaign committee chief to which Party
President Shri Rajnath Singh was appointed.

21. The 15th Lok Sabha was due to complete its constitutional
term on 31 May 2014. Hence the Parliamentary Election was
declared by the Election Commission for the constitution of
16th Lok Sabha in India. The election were held in nine
phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014. Following its consecutive
defeat in the 2004 and 2009 general elections, BJP had been
the Principal Opposition Party in parliament and claimed to
secure largest number of parliamentary seats under the
leadership of its Prime Ministerial candidate Shri Narendra
Modi who had been gaining ground for a national role after his
continued term of 14 years as Gujarat Chief Minister.

22. “Goods and Service Tax (GST) is a comprehensive tax levy on
manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and service at a
national level. GST is a tax on goods and services with value
addition at each stage having comprehensive and continuous
chain of set-of benefits from the producer’s/ service provider’s
point up to the retailer’s level where only the final consumer
should bear the tax.” Introduction of a GST to replace the
existing multiple tax structures of Centre and State taxes is
imperative in the emerging economic environment. GST, being
a destination-based consumption tax based on VAT principle,
would also greatly help in removing economic distortions and
will help in development of a common national market.

23. Again, Modi leads India from 2019. In 2002, Narendra Modi
was negligent during an anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat, in
which more than 2,000 Muslims perished. Yet, he won twice,
because he adopted inclusive development as his manifesto.
• However, Congress party leaders were implicated in an anti-
Sikh pogrom following Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984
when more than 3,000 people were killed.
• Congress and BJP had to take such issues in their strides
and debate on inclusive development and capable and
competent Union / State leaders to run local governance and
coordinate with Union government had to be achieved.

24. Saying that the demographic dividend of India was its
biggest strength and that 65 per cent of the population
is less than 35 years old, Mr. Modi spoke of the
importance of youth, asking them to step up to play a
role in the nation’s future.
“Give our youth the strength and they will do in 60
months what we could not in 60 years”, the Gujarat
Chief Minister had remarked.

25. o Demographic dividend is the result of demographic transition
and the consequent age-structural changes leading to the
rising ratio of the working population (15-59) and the
declining ratio of the child population (0-14). On the other
hand, during this phase the ratio of old age population (60 +)
grows very moderately.
o According to 2011 Census, India’s population was
enumerated 1.21 billion and the ratio of working age
population grew from 55 percent in 1991 to 60 percent in
2011 while child population declined from 37 to 30 percent,
and the old age population grew moderately from 6.8 percent
to 8.6 percent during the same period

26. • India’s asset is a young population. The dependency
burden in India is expected to keep falling for at least 20
years. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an
Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48
for Japan But, a young population is an asset only if it is
educated, skilled and finds productive employment. If this
were to happen, our objective of realizing India`s potential
to grow at 10% or more per annum for a substantial period
of time can indeed become a reality.

27. • The future of the global economy in the 21st century lies
in the knowledge economy. We work to strengthen our
competitive advantage in this area. We have increased
the expenditure on Science & Technology as a proportion
of our GDP. We are investing heavily in both basic and
higher education. For the last fifty years, India had seven
Indian Institutes of Technology and one Indian Institute of
Science. In the last five years we have established eight
new IITs and five more Indian Institutes of Science
Education and Research.

28. • Rights to information, education and food security are
legal now.
• To bring a new State of Telangana, the process for
bifurcation of the Andhra State is being done.
• Non-control of allocation of resources (such as ICT, coal)
efficiently brought critical reprimand by Comptroller.
• Action taken after the events brought a scam infested
image to the Congress party itself even though individuals
involved were punished. Congress lost twice, the LS
election.

29. • Nonviolence toward humans (particularly religious
tolerance and overcoming Maoist terrorism)
• toward animals (particularly vegetarianism and objections
to animal sacrifice)
• the tensions between the householder life and
renunciation (small family norm)
• between addiction and the control of sensuality (do not
imbibe, put alcohol in engine)
• Hinduism, always context sensitive, responds to what is
happening (or published), at roughly the same moment,
not only on the political and economic scene but within
Buddhism or Islam in India or among people from other
cultures entering India writing alternate history.

30. • India needs the generation of sufficient employment
opportunities so that all households have the purchasing
power needed for assured economic access to food.
• Employment or livelihood security is an essential and
inseparable element of a comprehensive strategy for
national food security. Conversely, food security is an
essential requirement for raising the productivity of
India’s workforce to international levels.

31. o Commercial agriculture, agro-industry and agri-
business;
o forestation for pulp, fuel and power;
o retail and wholesale trade; tourism,
o housing and construction;
o IT and IT-enabled services;
o transport and communications;
o education, health and financial services.
A wide range of strategies and policies are to
stimulate more rapid development.

32. • Successful education policy forms the bedrock of all
fields of national development— political, economic,
technical, scientific, social and environmental. Education
is the foundation for
a vibrant democracy, growth of productivity and
income and employment opportunities.
• Literacy is considered the minimum right and requirement
of every Indian citizen.

33. Literacy is an indispensable minimum condition
for development, but it is far from sufficient.
A qualitative shift is needed from routine
memorisation to development of children’s
capacity for critical thinking and from methods
that emphasise teaching and passive learning
to those that foster active interest and the ability
of children to learn on their own.

34. General education forms the base of the knowledge
pyramid which is essential for a sustained development of
the society in the 21st Century. The advancement of
science and the application of improved technology
constitute the middle rung. Social ideals and values form
the apex.
Technical education, both vocational and professional,
provide the foundation for development of science and
technology. A large number of the country’s engineering
colleges need to be upgraded to quality standards nearer
to those of India’s world-class IITs.

35. • Greater reliance on renewable energy sources offers enormous
economic, social and environmental benefits. India is the world’s
fifth largest producer of wind power, with more than 95 per cent
of the investment coming from the private sector. Other
renewable energy technologies, including solar photovoltaic,
solar thermal, small hydro, biomass power and biofuels are
spreading.
• A concerted effort to implement a visionary approach to
alternative energy generation could reduce India’s dependence
on imported fuels while reducing the strain on the environment.

36. Biomass power production, ethanol motor fuel and jatropa
fuel oil can generate millions of rural employment
opportunities and contribute to higher rural incomes, at the
same time reducing the outflow of foreign exchange for
import of oil and coal. Tapping this potential will require
conducive national policies and programmes designed to
attract strong participation from the private sector.
Given the vision and political will, India can convert the
present water problem into a huge opportunity by linking
some of the major rivers together.

37. The idea of inclusive growth must include the latter, for it is
a very important part of why economic growth is a good
thing... India has been generating a lot of public revenue -
for sure. Has it been used to expand education and health
care?
Certainly, to some extent the present government has done
something. (But) they could have done a lot more, and
should do much more now. It is silly to debate on whether
growth is a good thing. Of course it is, and potentially it can
be very important. But we have to do much more to get the
fruits of growth inclusively shared.

38. Agro-products

39. On the occasion of the country’s 74th Independence Day on
Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country
needed to replicate the “self-reliance” of the country in
agriculture in other sectors of the economy, underscoring
the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign.
The prime minister said his government had freed the
country’s agriculture sector by abolishing archaic
regulations, which will help to increase famers’ income.
“The last few years have seen pioneering changes and
futuristic reforms in agriculture. Farmers now have access
to more markets, better financial support,” the PM said.

40. Modi’s reference to the freeing up of the agriculture sector included
reading down of provisions of The Essential Commodities Act 1955 to
allow for freer trade in farm commodities. “I admit there are lakhs of
challenges for India to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), and yes, there
is fierce competition from the rest of the world. But I always say that if
India faces lakhs of challenges, it also has 130 crore solutions,” Modi
said.
The agriculture sector, which supports half of all Indians, hasn’t been
generating enough revenues to keep farmers profitable for nearly two
decades due to trade restrictions and an obsession with keeping food
prices low to avoid inflation, according to the OECD-ICRIER study
mentioned above.

41. Grains Production & Storage:
India’s rice and corn production figures are set to hit
record highs in the current year, while wheat production is
likely to slide. 2017-18 rice production is about 110 million
tonnes. Corn production is likely to reach new high of 27
million tonnes. Wheat production is estimated to fall to 95
million tonnes in 2018-19.
Storage is an important marketing function, which involves
holding and preserving goods from the time they are
produced until they are needed for consumption.

42. India’s grain production has steadily increased due to
advances in technology, but post-harvest loss is constant at
10%. Losses during storage, accounts for around 6% of the
total losses as proper storage facilities are not available. In
India, food grains are stored using traditional structures by
small farmers. The surplus grains are stored with government
agencies like: Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central and
State warehousing Corporations. The commonly used
storage method is Cover and Plinth (CAP) storage, which is
economical but loss of grains is inevitable.

43. Food Grain Stocking Policy for India
Pending legislation, which will guarantee access by the poor to a
specified quantity of food grains, the National Food Security Bill stands
to have a major impact on the food grain stocking policy in India. The
Bill mentions cash transfers and issuing food coupons to eligible
families. The successful implementation of the Act will clearly require
that much larger stocks be held. Whether these stocks are held by the
government or the private sector depends on new instruments being
created, e.g., negotiable warehouse receipts-, on new institutions such
as public-private partnerships in warehousing and on changes to the
legal structure, especially the Essential Commodities Act and the
Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act.

44. Silos
In these structures, the grains in
bulk are unloaded on the
conveyor belts and, through
mechanical operations, are
carried to the storage structure.
The storage capacity of each of
these silos is around 25,000
tonnes.

45. Very few scientific storage structures like silos are
available with these agencies. The government is taking
initiatives now in building silos for long-term safe storage
of grains since we do not have enough storage capacity
as of now. Drying of harvested grains to safe moisture
levels will reduce losses to a greater extend. However,
very less literature is available on behavior of grains after
harvest for Indian climatic conditions. Therefore, there is a
need for research to develop management guidelines for
safe storage and drying to ensure quality management of
stored grains.

46. FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA: Since its inception in
1965, having handled various situations of plenty and
scarcity, FCI has successfully met the challenge of
managing the complex task of providing food security for the
nation. A strong food security system which has helped to
sustain the high growth rate and maintain regular supply of
wheat and rice right through the year. The efficiency with
which FCI tackled one of the worst droughts of the century
not only cemented its role as the premier organization in
charge of food security in India, but also brought it
accolades from international organizations.

47. PM Modi launches Rs. 1-lakh-crore agriculture infrastructure fund; over Rs.
1,000 crore credit disbursed on day 1
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday formally launched
the Rs 1-lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
under which agro-entrepreneurs, start-ups, agro-tech
players and farmer groups will have access to credit at
subsidised interest for building warehouses, cold storages
and other facilities to reduce post-harvest losses. Modi also
announced release of Rs 17,100 crore to about 8.5 crore
farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
(PM- Kisan) scheme.

48. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
The funds will be provided for setting up of cold stores and
chains, warehouses, silos, assaying, grading and packaging
units, e-marketing points linked to e-trading platforms and
ripening chambers, besides PPP projects for crop
aggregation sponsored by central/ state/ local bodies.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 15 had
announced creation of the AIF as part of the R 20 lakh crore
relief package amid outbreak of Covid 19.

49. Amendment in the Essential Commodities Act
Noting that India is second largest producer of food grains in the world,
the prime minister said that Indian agriculture has no problem with
regard to production. However, there is a major problem on post-harvest
wastages, he said, and added that farmers as well as the nation also
suffer losses. "While the fund will help create build modern cold
storages and cold chain as well as warehouses in villages, it will also
provide employment opportunities in rural areas," Modi said. Under the
PM-Kisan, the Centre provides direct income support of Rs 6,000 each
in three equal installments per year to 14 crore eligible farmers. The
amount is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries
after Aadhaar authentication.

50. The NDA govt. also brought, on June 4, ‘The Farming Produce
Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance,
2020’. The ordinance will bring down the decades-old
agricultural produce market committees regulations (APMC)
system that regulates buying and selling of farm produce.
These reforms in “agricultural marketing” have been made
now. Government panels and economists have often argued
for changing existing structures of agricultural trade.
The ordinance will pave make barrier-free inter-state and intra-
state trade of farm goods outside the physical premises of
markets notified under APMCs. The govt. also approved ‘The
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price
Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’, which
effectively ushered new rules for contract farming and futures.

52. Water woes

53. Save us! Govardhana giri-dhari!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the
current flood situation and preparedness of Assam, Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala to deal
with the monsoon. He held a meeting through video
conference with chief ministers of these six states
The PM emphasized on better coordination between all
central and state agencies to have a permanent system
for forecasting of floods and extensive use of innovative
technologies for improving forecast and warning system.

54. • The chief ministers of Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Kerala and Home Minister of Karnataka
gave an update on the flood situation, rescue efforts made
in their respective states.
• They complimented the efforts of central agencies
including NDRF teams in timely deployment and rescuing
people.
• They also gave some suggestions for short-term and long-
term measures for mitigating the effects of floods

55. COVID-19
coronavirus management

56. Because of Covid-19 now, Indians need to wear masks,
maintain physical distancing, observe hand hygiene: Experts
advise on coronavirus precautions. India's COVID-19 tally
crossed 41 lakh mark with a single-day spike of 90,633 new
cases and 1,065 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
The total case tally stands at 41,13,812 including 8,62,320
active cases, 31,80,866 cured / discharged/migrated and
70,626 deaths. Ministry of Health the health experts have
advised that we need to stick to precautionary measures, till
a safe and effective vaccine is found. India currently has a
low fatality rate and high recovery rate.

57. In September 6th , 2020, while in order to reduce the number of
coronavirus cases in India, which is now close to 4.1 million, the
Centre has to enforce people wear masks strictly and properly.
"The healthcare delivery space is extremely capital and people
intensive. We at FICCI have been urging the government to provide
financial stimulus up to minimum three per cent of the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product)," said Roy.
He argued that specific funds like Healthcare Infrastructure Fund and
Healthcare Innovation Fund should be developed to boost
entrepreneurship, start-ups and newer business models, which are
needed to improve access, availability and quality, especially in
smaller cities and rural areas.

58. According to the Union health ministry, improved recoveries have been
made possible because of effective implementation of the policy of
testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently.
“Focus on standard of care protocol including use of non-invasive
oxygen, better skilled doctors in the Intensive Care Units and hospitals,
and improved ambulance services has culminated in yielding the desired
results," health ministry said in a statement.
It's the breeding season of Dengue mosquitoes, so to protect
our family & friends from it, we are launching the '10 hafte 10 baje 10
minute' on every Sunday campaign, like last year. Renew the water
collected in your houses, with fresh water every week: Delhi CM Arvind
Kejriwal. IMD bulletin up to Sept 10: Heavy to very heavy rain very likely
at isolated places over Kerala, Mahe, sub-Himalayan WB, Sikkim,
Assam, Meghalaya

59. "The serological surveys being conducted are effective as they help
authorities make informed decisions about interventions that are needed
to contain the pandemic. It will give us an outlook whether India can
achieve herd immunity," Roy added.
As the world continues its race for the coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Sanjeev
Singh, Chief Medical Superintendent, Amrita Institute of Medical
Sciences, Faridabad, said vaccination would play an important role in
reducing community transmission.
"Six study groups are in Phase 3 trials and promising results are
expected on short-term and long-term immunity. The most urgent step is
to go back to basics with wearing masks, adhering to physical distancing
and maintaining hand hygiene and adequate surface disinfection," said
Dr. Singh.

60. World's largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII)
is aiming to raise up to $1 billion from big equity investors
including Blackstone and KKR, keeping in line with the
company's plan to start production of its vaccine candidate
-- being developed by the UK's Jenner Institute, Oxford --
on a mass scale.
The privately-owned firm, which is owned by Cyrus
Poonawalla and his son Adar Poonawalla, could soon float
a special purpose vehicle as the money raised for the
COVID-19 vaccine will be for the SPV only.

61. Serum Institute has also joined hands with AstraZeneca and
Novavax to develop their coronavirus candidates. Initial
results from the first two phases of trials of the coronavirus
vaccine conducted at five trial sites in the UK showed the
inoculation had an acceptable safety profile.
SII might begin its Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in India this
month. Currently, phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Oxford
vaccine candidate are going on in the United Kingdom,
Phase 3 clinical trial in Brazil.

62. The timeline for a novel Coronavirus vaccine is all but set. Though there
is still a bit of uncertainty, most experts, and others who should know,
agree that a vaccine would become a reality by early next year, if not
earlier.
The next point of interest in the vaccine seems to be the price at which it
would be made available to the public. That question is also being slowly
answered. On Friday, Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest
manufacturer of vaccines by volume, said at least 100 million doses of
potentially billions that it plans to produce, would be made available for as
low as US$ 3 (less than Rs. 240) per dose.
This is at par with the lowest price indications that have been suggested
till now for the different vaccine candidates currently under development.

63. Vaccine at this low price would be enabled through a new
US$ 150 million funding it is receiving from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation to 'accelerate' the production of
Coronavirus vaccines. Serum has agreements with at
least two vaccine developers, Oxford University-
AstraZeneca and Novavax, to produce and supply their
vaccines once they are finalised and approved. Moderna,
one of the front-runners to develop a Coronavirus vaccine,
is reported to have said that it could price its vaccine
between US$50 and US$60 (between Rs. 3,700 and Rs
4,500) per dose.

64. HUNT FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE: THE STORY SO FAR
• More than 160 vaccine candidates in pre-clinical or clinical
trials
o 23 of them in clinical trials Six in final stages, phase-III of
human trials
o At least eight candidate vaccines being developed in India.
o Two of these have entered phase -II trials after completing
phase-I. AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer
have indicated that they did not intend to profit from the
vaccines, and would be willing to sell it at the cost price.
However, Moderna has said it would not sell it at cost

65. New Delhi: India's coronavirus recoveries crossed the 15 lakh-mark, the
government said on Monday [18th August]. Notably, recoveries are over
twice the number of active cases (6,28,747) of coronavirus infection at
present.
However, infection still remains concentrated in 10 states that contribute
more than 80% of the new cases, asserted the health ministry.
"The number of recovered cases has touched another high of 2.36 times the
active cases. All patients are all under medical attention either in home
isolation or in hospitals," the ministry said.
As many as 53,879 coronavirus patients were discharged in
24-hours, pushing the recovery rate to 68.78 per cent. The
fatality rate has further dropped to 2.01 per cent, it claimed.

66. India’s rate of recovery from Covid-19 earlier improved to
70.37% as 1,639,599 people, 56,110 on 19th August, have
been discharged from hospitals so far. There are 643,948
active cases, according to the health ministry. The gap
between the active and recovered cases is now 995,651.
“The TEST, TRACK, TREAT strategy showing
desired result- early identification and prompt
isolation / hospitalisation aiding exponential
growth in recoveries,” the ministry tweeted on
Wednesday.

67. India’s recovery rate amongst the Covid-19 patients has reached nearly
74% (73.91%) reflecting that the number of patients recovering is on a
steady rise over the past several months.
“This is a good sign that people are getting better and our mortality is low.
Most positive cases do not require hospitalisation, and those needing
intensive care is actually a minuscule number. Most people in hospitals
have moderate disease with good chances of recovery," says Dr. Rommel
Tickoo, senior consultant, department of internal medicine, Max
Healthcare.
The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the
country in terms of the active cases, has reduced and currently comprises
only 24.19% of the total positive cases since the first case was diagnosed
on January 30, 2020.

68. Here’s a look at the 10 biggest hotspots of the disease in
the country: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar,
Telangana, and Assam. Maharashtra reported the highest
single-day increase in the number of Covid-19 cases as it
is the biggest hotspot of the pathogen, followed by Tamil
Nadu. Delhi and Rajasthan, have managed to control the
cases from spiralling, it has spread alarmingly in states
such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Pune’s recovery
rate has improved despite the city having overtaken
Mumbai.

69. 7-Sept.-2020: India Becomes 2nd Nation Worst-hit by Covid-19 as Tally
Tops 42 Lakh With Over 90,000 Cases in 24 Hours
India on Monday pipped Brazil to take the second spot on the list of
nations worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic as it recorded over
90,000 Covid-19 cases for the second day, taking the total tally to over
42 lakh. India saw a record 90,802 people being infected in a day, while
32,50,429 people have recuperated so far, pushing the national
recovery rate to 77.30 per cent on Monday, according to the Union
health ministry data. The total number of coronavirus cases mounted to
42,04,613, while the death toll climbed to 71,642 with 1,016 fatalities
being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am
showed. The surge in figures comes on a day when metro services
restarted in several cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

70. Trains will be sanitized at terminal stations. Similarly, once they are
back to Depots after the end of the day, they will again be thoroughly
sanitized. The train doors will be kept open at terminal stations to jet fresh
air infuse in the train.
Regular cleaning of metro stations will be ensured by prioritizing
passenger movement areas such as concourse, passages, platforms. All
human contact areas -- lift buttons, escalator handrails, gates touch points,
customer handling points will be disinfected at stations every four hours.
AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria has said that some parts of
India are witnessing a second wave of Covid-19 cases. He added that
people are now tired of taking safety measures, and in Delhi, they can be
seen without masks, and gathering in crowds, leading to spike in the number
of cases.

71. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with full joy and
enthusiasm in different parts of India, however,
Maharashtra is popularly known for the grand
celebration of Vinayak Chaturthi. This year,
Ganesh Chaturthi will begin on 22 August and it
will end on September 1 at Anant Chaturdashi.
Ganesh Chathurthi begins with the
establishment of Lord Ganesha’s idol at home
and ends after his immersion. Every year this
festival brings colour, happiness joy, hope and
prosperity. People celebrate this festival by
dancing on the roads but this year the
celebration is restricted to the public places in
the wake of coronavirus.
Ganesh Chaturthi is
celebrated across the
country, but Maharashtra
cannot be beaten for its
ultimate preparations of
Ganesh Chaturthi.

72. N D H M

73. "The country will witness another
movement from today. The National
Digital Health Mission will usher in a
revolution in India's healthcare sector,"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the
nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort
on August 15.
This August 7, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)
released the latest strategic document, outlining the
envisioned digital personal health records, digital clinical
decision systems, and digital registries of doctors, hospitals,
pharmacies, and insurance companies, Patients can create a
Health ID

74. National Digital Health Mission
Underlining that “the biggest lesson of self-reliance (atmanirbharta ki
sabse badi seekh) has been taught to us by the health sector” following
the Covid-19 outbreak, P M Narendra Modi announced on Saturday
[August-15] the launch of the National Digital Health Mission under which
“every Indian will be given a health ID”.
National Digital Health Mission “will bring a new technology that will be
used prudently to reduce the challenges in treatment”. Every Indian will
be given a health ID. This health ID will work like a health account of
every Indian. This account will contain details of your every test, every
disease, the doctors you visited, the medicines you took and the
diagnosis. When and what was the report, all such information will be
incorporated in the health ID.

75. What is a digital health ID?
Think of it as a digi-locker for all medical and healthcare-
related details of an individual, right from birth. A 14-digit serial
number will be generated for each individual.
The card will store immunisation details, surgeries, laboratory
tests, hospitals visited, pharmacies, medical purchases, etc.
The card will be accessible through an app or a website.
It will be password-protected and would need the permission
of the individual for a "one-time" limited-period access by
doctors.

76. Dr, Indu Bhushan, Chief Executive Officer, National Health
Authority, said,
“The core building blocks of NDHM such as Health ID, Digi-
Doctor and Health Facility Registry shall be owned,
operated and maintained by the Government of India.
Private stakeholders will have an equal opportunity to
integrate with these building blocks and create their own
products for the market. However, core activities and
verifications, for example, generation of Health ID or
approval of a doctor/facility shall remain with the
Government.”

77. “Additional components, like Personal Health Record (PHR)
and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) solutions can be
developed by private players as well, in line with guidelines
that will be issued. All such products by private participants
shall be as per official guidelines taking care of security,
privacy and standards of the NDHM ecosystem,” he said.
The genesis of the new digital health infrastructure came
about in the 2017 National Health Policy, which proposed a
new National Digital Health Authority. Then, a committee
headed by former UIDAI chairman J Satyanarayana released
the National Digital Health Blueprint in July 2019.

78. This August 7, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) released the
latest strategic document, outlining the envisioned digital personal health
records, digital clinical decision systems, and digital registries of doctors,
hospitals, pharmacies, and insurance companies,
Patients can create a Health ID, allowing them to virtually share files
between hospitals and doctors. They can choose for how long or what
specific documents they would like to share with whom. If individuals are
looking to benefit from government schemes, then they will be required
to connect their ID to the Aadhaar.
One copy of a patient’s records will be stored in the doctor’s file and
another in one’s individual locker. Other than the registry of doctors,
professionals, and institutions, this allows for decentralised storing.

79. What else to take up?

80. The National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 (NCSS 2020),
overseen by the National Security Council Secretariat,
collected public comments until January this year. These
frameworks will have a bearing on incidents similar to the
hacking WhatsApp of 121 Indians by Israeli cyber firm NSO
Group last year.
While the government calls the optical fibre connectivity
mission as the “world’s largest connectivity project”,
BharatNet, which envisages laying of about 8 lakh km of
incremental optical fibre cable (OFC) to all 2.50 lakh-plus
gram panchayats

81. BharatNet, which envisages laying of about 8 lakh km of incremental
optical fibre cable (OFC) to all 2.50 lakh-plus gram panchayats has had
significant snags in deployment for years now. First, it was unable to meet
its March 2020 deadline for its second phase of deployment, which was
shifted to August 2021.
Even this month, BSNL did not have any bidders for a maintenance and
upkeep tender for the fibre that is already laid. States are asking for more
funds for this second phase and lamenting a lack of labour due to migrant
exodus.
Besides, not many private players are utilising the already-laid fibre to
provide services from gram panchayats onwards, even as rural internet
penetration is growing independently through private telecom players.

82. India's unemployment rate spiked to a nine-week high of
9.1% for the week ended August 16.
Compared with a week earlier, the employment rate and
labour participating rate (LPR) also increased to 38.4% and
42.2% from 37.09% and 40.62%, respectively, the Centre
for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said.
"There is a big increase in rural India in both employment
and unemployment rates. This reflects increased
agricultural activities," CMIE's managing director and CEO
Mahesh Vyas said.

83. Supreme Court dismisses plea to transfer PM CARES Fund to
NDRF: Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition
seeking the transfer of money in PM CARES Fund to National
Disaster Relief Fund. The SC said that fresh national disaster
plan for coronavirus COVID-19 is not needed and observed
that funds collected in PM CARES Fund are meant for
charitable trust. "There is no statutory prohibition on
contributions made to NDRF and the contributions to PM Cares
fund are voluntary. Funds collected by the PM Cares fund are
different and these funds are funds of charitable trust. Thus,
funds need not be transferred," said the apex court.

84. Defense & Story of Rafale-36
French plane-maker Dassault Aviation clarified on Thursday [Oct. 11,
2018] that an executive’s reported comment about an “imperative and
mandatory” joint venture with Reliance Defence was in reference to the
offset part of the government-to-government deal between France and
India for 36 Rafale aircraft.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi reiterated his demand for a probe into
the deal.
Explaining the logic of the joint venture to workers’ representatives in
2017, Dassault deputy chief executive officer Loik Segalen said this was
done to ensure the French company got the “Rafale India export”
business.

85. Hindustan Times pointed out in a report on Thursday it
wasn’t clear if Segalen’s reference was to the offsets — the
only way Dassault could benefit from these was if it
partnered with a local company to make parts it could then
source — or the original deal. Dassault clarified that his
reference was to the offsets, or components it would have to
buy from an Indian manufacturer.
Separately, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier told AFP the
joint venture with Reliance Group will meet about 10% of the
firm’s offset obligations required by the contract for 36 Rafale
jets.

86. JEE Done, NTA Gears Up for NEET on Sept 13 With Sanitisers & Social
Distancing. Read Details Here
After JEE Main, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is now gearing up to
conduct medical entrance exam NEET scheduled to be held on
September 13 for which over 15 lakh candidates have registered. The
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE Main), which began on September 1 for
admission to engineering colleges, will conclude on Sunday.
The exams are conducted in Sept. after being postponed twice in view of
the Covid-19 pandemic. 15.97 lakh candidates from across the country
have registered for NEET, which is a pen-paper based test unlike JEE. In
order to maintain social distancing, the NTA has increased the number of
centres from 2,546 to 3,843 for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test
(NEET) while the number of candidates per room has been reduced from
earlier 24 to 12.

87. The fear of dengue has set in. The Delhi government will once again
launch a mass awareness campaign "10 hafte 10 baje 10 din" aimed at
preventing dengue as well as other vector-borne diseases. The campaign
was first launched in 2019. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged
people to inspect their residences for stagnant water that can turn into a
breeding ground for mosquitoes causing dengue. In a recent tweet by
Kejriwal, the CM said that last year 2 crore people together fought against
diseases like dengue; he invited people to fight this year as well. The
campaign will run on every Sunday for the next 10 weeks, where any place
with stagnant water will be cleaned in order to prevent breeding to
mosquitoes–key reasons for diseases like malaria, dengue, and
chikungunya. "At 10 am, I will check my house for if the water is collected
anywhere, you should check yours too. This time as well, we have to fight
dengue together," read Kejriwal's tweet.

88. India's GDP data 'alarming', says ex-RBI governor
Raghuram Rajan
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has said
that the recently released quarterly GDP growth numbers for the first
quarter of FY21 are startling. Terming the 23.9 per cent contraction in the
economy as "alarming" Rajan in said the numbers will "probably be worse
when we get estimates of the damage in the informal sector.“
The former RBI governor, in his Linkedin post, stated that the (23.9 per
cent) contraction in the Indian economy, when compared with a drop of
12.4 per cent in Italy, and 9.5 per cent in the US, is even "worse off" than
what comparisons suggest. The US and Italy are two of the most Covid-
affected advanced countries. India is the worst-hit nation after the US,
setting new records for daily coronavirus cases every day.

89. He further opined that the relief measures provided by the government have
become all the more important in the light of the ensuing situation, however,
they have been "meager". He stated that the steps taken by the Centre
such as free food grains to poor households; and credit guarantees to
banks for lending to small and medium (SMEs) firms, are the areas where
the "take down has been patchy.“
Rajan said that the government's "reluctance to do more today seems
paltry" as it wants to conserve resources for a possible future stimulus is
"self-defeating."
"Government officials who hold out the possibility of a stimulus when India
finally contains the virus, are underestimating the damage from a more
shrunken and scarred economy at that point," Rajan said.

90. The worst affected economy _ P Chidambaram
_ Central Statistics Office (CSO). The provisional estimates of GDP for the
quarter April-June 2020 (Q1 of 2020-21), released by the CSO, tell us a
grim tale. GDP in the first quarter has declined by a whopping 23.9%. That
means, about one quarter of the gross domestic output as on June 30,
2019, has been wiped out in the last 12 months. Note that when output is
lost, the jobs that produce that output are lost, the income that those jobs
provide are lost, and the families that depend on those incomes suffer.
According to estimates made by the CMIE, between the economic
Slowdown and the pandemic, at its peak, 121 million jobs were lost.
These included regular salaried jobs, casual jobs, and self-employment.
At 23.9%, India is the worst affected major economy(among the G-20) in
the period April-June, 2020 (source: IMF).

91. The only sector that has grown is Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing at 3.4%.
The Finance Minister who blamed an ‘Act of God’ for the decline should
actually be grateful to the farmers and the gods who blessed the farmers.
Other sectors of the economy has declined sharply, some precipitously.
Manufacturing is down 39.3 %; Construction by 50.3 %; and Trade, Hotels,
Transport and Communications by 47.0 %.
The estimates did not come as a surprise to any one who has closely
observed the Indian economy. What we have is an economic tragedy. It
was foretold by many economists, most recently by the RBI in its Annual
Report released last week. For eight successive quarters in 2018-19 and
2019-20, GDP growth declined every quarter, from a high of 8.2 % to a low
of 3.1 %.We have to find our way out of it, even at this stage, if the
government took the fiscal measures necessary to arrest the slide, boost
demand / consumption, and, consequently, revive production and jobs.

92. The key is expenditure - government and private consumption expenditure.
It does not matter how much is spent under which head as long the money
is found and spent. The government can find the money from many
sources - disinvestment, more borrowing by relaxing the limits under the
FRBM Act; using the generous funds to fight the pandemic promised by the
IMF, World Bank Group, ADB and others ($6.5 billion); and, as a last resort,
monetising part of the deficit.
Part of the money must be transferred in cash to the poor; part should be
used for government capital expenditure in infrastructure; part used to
bridge the GST compensation gap; and part used for re-capitalising banks
and enabling them to lend. Once there is an indication of revival of
demand, private corporates, that are cash-rich and have de-leveraged, will
invest and produce.

93. The next bold move should be to use the mountain of food grain to put
food in the homes of poor families and to pay wages-in-kind to start
massive public works. The godowns will be full again soon thanks to the
record-breaking harvest expected this year. The third big move will be to
decentralise powers to the states and empower them financially. The
Centre should abandon its ill-timed attempt to interfere with agricultural
produce marketing, regulate supply of essential commodities, and control
district central and urban cooperative banks. One Nation, One Everything
is a very bad idea. My proposals do not factor two unknowns - the course
of the pandemic and the intentions of China - because, as I write, they
remain unknowns.
Website: pchidambaram.in
Twitter @Pchidambaram_IN

94. China’s Xi Jinping is global threat, says exiled Tiananmen leader;
Compares CPC with Hitler’s Nazi party
The world needs to follow India in fighting Communist Party of China's Xi
Jinping's expansionism, an exiled Chinese student leader who had led
the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest has said. Zhou Fengsuo, the
President of Humanitarian China, also compared Xi with the Nazi Party's
Hitler, and pointed out that the characteristics of the two leaders are
remarkably similar. Applauding India for banning all the Chinese apps,
Zhou who is currently in exile in the US has said "It is important to
counter China at every step, as there is no other way out. “The exiled
Chinese student was speaking at a webinar "Emperor has no Clothes:
China under Xi Jinping“

95. According to him, "China's human
rights violations are perpetrated on
not only the Chinese citizens but
also on those in Inner Mongolia,
East Turkestan and in Tibet, East
Turkestan and Inner Mongolia. The
global threat from Xi's Communist
Party of China will impact the
people of every nation around the
world and its shadow will fall on all
of us, including all Indians."
While drawing a parallel with the Nazi
Party's Hitler with CCP's Xi, Zhou said
Communist China was using
technology and debt-diplomacy to
subjugate the entire world. "The
totalitarian regime of Comm. China
has become unmatched in human
history. I see a commonality between
Xi’s China and Hitler’s Germany.

96. Throwing light on the atrocities committed on the Tibetans by Communist
Party of China, Thinlay Chukki, Special Appointee for Human Rights at the
Geneva-based The Tibet Bureau said since 1949, the CCP has
massacred 1.2 million Tibetans and destroyed more than 6,000
monasteries in Tibet. "There are numerous programmes to forcibly
Sinicize the Tibetans. They have systematically destroyed every element
of Tibetan heritage and culture. Tibet, which was called Shangri La at one
point of time, has been entirely destroyed by the CCP." According to him,
those Tibetans, who continue to venerate the Dalai Lama, get detained,
disappear mysteriously, and are found in detention camps, or never found
at all. Talking about CCP's programmes for rapid demographic change in
Tibet, she said, a very recent report had pointed to the Tibetan population
in Tibet coming down to just six million whereas the Chinese population
going up to 10 million.

97. Sharing his views at the webinar, Aditya Raj Kaul, an
independent journalist said Communist Party of China under
Xi has a game plan, which includes domination of every
global institution in the emerging new world order.
He said the expansionist tendencies of Xi is reflective of the
hegemonistic mindset of Communist China, which has
triggered the current conflict with India in Ladakh.
"India has already begun to effectively counter China at every
step of the way, be it military or geopolitics. China has been
the big elephant in the room for long for India and now India
has woken up to the challenge."

98. India Didn't Prioritise Mental Health Before Covid-19.
Now it's Paying the Price
The Narendra Modi government started easing the most
severe restrictions on daily life in June, but the effects of the
lockdown on residents' mental health are still emerging, as
the country battles one of the most severe Covid-19
outbreaks in the world. India now has over 4 million cases of
the virus, giving it the third-highest tally of recorded cases
globally, behind the Unites States and Brazil: "The worst are
the headaches and the pain in my eyes," said Paul, who lives
in Kolkata, West Bengal. "I have had more panic attacks this
year than in my entire life combined."

99. Research conducted by the Suicide Prevention in India Foundation (SPIF)
in May found that nearly 65% of 159 mental health professionals surveyed
reported an increase in self-harm among their patients. More than 85% of
therapists surveyed said they were experiencing caregiver fatigue, and
over 75% said fatigue had impacted their work.
Another survey in April, by the Indian Psychiatric Society, showed that, of
1,685 participants, 40% were suffering from common mental health
disorders, such as anxiety and depression, due to the pandemic.
The lockdown may have eased, but the situation isn't improving. The
report's authors told CNN in August that there's growing anxiety and
uncertainty about when the pandemic will end. Before Covid-19, India had
the highest suicide rate in south-east Asia -- now medical experts say the
country's mental health system is being pushed to the limit.

100. Other notable failures of the Modi government include the
handling of the lockdown-induced migrant crisis (14%), price
rise (11%) and handling of the economy (7%).
Regionally, more than one-third of citizens from South have
mentioned handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as the topmost
failure of Modi government,
whereas in other zones, unemployment has been mentioned
as the biggest failure_ Management of the Economy?

101. JAI HIND