The hunt for a cure begins with telling the truth (Battling a pandemic needs truth first)

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 The hunt for a cure begins with telling the truth (Battling a pandemic needs truth first)

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• The importance of truth: In the middle of the pandemic, we are now discovering how people have been hiding their travel histories, reducing body temperatures by consuming paracetamol, bypassing tests at airports. Relatives were helped by those in power! Today, journalists are threatened if they expose chinks in the healthcare armour. Why is all this happening? Because truth is lost.
• The Gandhian truth: When Mahatma Gandhi spoke of using truth as a weapon, it became the 'Satyagrah'. He was killed, and then this article of faith slowly vanished. Today's politicians tell lies, and then laugh and say it was an election gimmick. Citizens are okay with it.
• Punishing the innocent: Anyone who dare say the truth is labelled an anti-national. Doctors are imprisoned for months for merely exposing the system. Environmental clearances are no longer what they're meant to be.
• No problems with falsehood: The citizens have come to accept lies as a part of political discourse, and have nearly stopped protesting the same. Those habits are continuing even during the pandemic, with life-and-death consequences.
• Public character building: Only through leaders who genuinely believe in truth and honesty, and force their followers to follow similar ideals, can public character be built. Truth and facts must build the reality.

1. India spends just 1.28% of GDP on health
2. More than 5.5 cr Indians became poor in 2011-12 due to OOPS (out of pocket expensens in health)
3. Health budgets have not been growing
4. India kept exporting PPE (personal protective equipments) despite WHO warning in Feb 2020
5. Today, sanitation workers are forced to work but not with proper PPEs

• Lockdown essentials: Unless all citizens are given food and medical help, the lockdown will never be successful. A well-planned lockdown would take into account the needs of the most vulnerable groups first. A lot many may die lonely deaths. But first, we have to speak about it. No point deflecting anything.
• What we really need: To battle this virus, we need leaders who think quickly, are creative, and have compassion in their hearts. Despite low supplies of healthcare equipments, factories haven't been asked to divert production to these.

1. The PM Relief Fund had a lot of funds, and relief for migrant workers could have been arranged out of that
2. No order was issued for days together.

• We need public spending: The argument that highly-subsidised universities are a waste, has collapsed. Some of the best doctors and scientists helping us today are from such universities. More than the detention centres, we need health care, water, electricity and internet.
• Work for all: South Korea, Kerala and Cuba had systems that worked for all, hence worked best. Wherever we are driven by religious or caste considerations, we are failing. The virus of falsehood will kill many of us, but the universal safety net of truth can save all of us.
• Summary : By surrendering their love for truth, citizens are surrendering their ability to fight threats that can kill them.

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