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IMPRI Team
In continuation with the ongoing discussions on the Rural Realities and COVID-19 Pandemic affecting Health around the country, the Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS), IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi organized a Panel Discussion on “Rural Realities | Telangana & Andhra Pradesh | Practitioners’ Experiences in Tackling the Second Wave in Indian Villages” on May 14, 2021, as the second wave of coronavirus pandemic is engulfing the length and breadth of our country, India, and hitting the heartland of our country which is the rural areas.
Dr. A Suneetha, Coordinator, Anveshi Research Centre for Women’s Studies stated that the non-acknowledgment of voluntary networks by the Telangana government has led voluntary organizations to rely on local authorities. While the government was okay with the distribution of rations in the COVID-19 situation the voluntary health networks were side-lined completely.
She also said that suppression of data and information by the state has costed the state badly as major allocation given by the central government based on data given by the state has fallen short in meeting the needs. PHC Level reporting shows a high positivity rate and mortality rate which has not been disclosed in data.
She further highlighted that media too has been suppressed by the government. There exist a kind of policy paralysis because of the image trap. There also exists a need for open isolation and quarantine centers as the disease is infectious and cannot be curbed by home isolation.
The state government is more interested in managing its image rather than showing the ground realities of the state transparently
Dr. A Suneetha
