We shall overcome, some day!

The much-awaited financial measures to enable the countrymen combat Covid-19 were announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday igniting a wave of relief across the country.

We cannot compare ourselves countries like those in the Europe or the US or even with the origin country of Covid-19, China. We have our limitations and constraints and we have our shortcomings.

When developed economies like Europe and the US behaving in a silly fashion with people throwing all caution to the winds, we have begun our war without any boast and with a step by step move. Agreed lockdown is no solution. But is there anything else that we can do? Nothing and little.

We don't have the infrastructure to deal with the spread of the virus as China does due to our lack of planning all these years. Secondly, with the levels of our understanding being what they are and the semi-literate sections' contribution, we are ill -prepared to deal with emergencies like these.

It is just the very beginning of the virus havoc and we should understand and follow certain practices. Thanks to our culture and traditions, we have always been a society that believed in washing the hands often. At least it is in full practice in the villages if not in the cities.

Yet, when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi began preparing or psyching the nation with a day Janata Curfew and then without any further delay announced the extension of the curfew till April 15 with the message of "stay home, stay home, stay home" with folded hands, realisation slowly began dawning on every section that the battle is going to be a hard one.

Simultaneously, questions rose on the preparedness medically first and financially next in view of the poorer sections of the society and daily wage earners. With the economy coming to a grinding halt and lockdown pushing people on the streets, the immediate need was to take care of them.

A hungry population won't wait for Covid-19 to go. It would rather push itself to the brink and break the barriers of law and order with impatience. This would have led to ugly scenes that the country could not afford.

It is commendable that the Centre came out with its 'Garib Kalyan Yojana' so soon with a Rs 1.75-lakh-crore scheme to help the economically weaker sections survive the loss of jobs and income that would be the inevitable fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Rs 1,75,000-crore scheme, dubbed the "Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan Scheme", will address the concerns of poor, migrant workers and those who need help to a large extent. The rest depends on the society.

Confining oneself to home is one thing. Helping someone in need is another. Indians are known for their compassion. Please let us strengthen the government's hands in this fight. We have overcome such crisis in the past.

During, the 1965 war and later during 1971 we responded as one to the demands of the situation. We can overcome this one too… 'Sare Jahan Se Achcha…!"