Citizens must engage in welfare politics for inclusive post-pandemic economy

By Akshay Tarfe

Last six months have shown the government’s failure to fulfil its core constitutional obligations—ensuring health, and school education. The available evidence shows that the delivery of these services was suboptimal even before the pandemic, but the problems have been amplified during the COVID-19 lockdown.

What data show?
The public health services, probably the most crucial in the middle of pandemic, were inaccessible due to the lockdown. Data reported by government’s Health Management Information System shows institutional deliveries fell by 28% during April-June 2020. During same period, allopathic outpatient consultations dropped by 50%. A worrying trend also continued for major and minor surgeries which dropped by 60%. Meanwhile, the private health sector continued to make healthcare inaccessible due to high prices and lack of regulations.

As far as education is concerned, Oxfam India’s survey in five states showed that 8 in 10 parents reported non-delivery of the education despite government assurance in the parliament on providing education to the marginalised. The survey also reveals almost 40% parents faced fees hike by private schools despite notifications and orders by the state and central governments.

Public outcry for essential services
Despite limitations on ability to mobilise on streets and protest, the lockdown has shown that scrutiny and public outcry over essential services can force government machinery on various levels to act.

After independent protests by parents against private schools and complaints by parents across India, at least 13 state governments issued orders against fees collections and hikes. The media has fearlessly reported overcharging and exploitation by the private hospitals and lawyers have knocked the doors of judiciary to make healthcare accessible during the lockdown. In last six months we have multiple state governments issuing orders to cap COVID treatment rates in private hospitals. Helplines set up by civic bodies in states like Maharashtra are refunding crores of rupees to patients who were overcharged.

Continuing the momentum and strengthening citizen engagement
India seeks threat of ‘Disaster Capitalism’ as this crisis emerges as an opportunity for the government to push through pro big business policies which would have faced stiff resistance during a normal time. In August, Mukesh Ambani’s wealth rose to 78.2 billion and Reliance Industries Limited has become bigger than all India’s PSU’s combined. In the same month, World Bank reported that half of India’s population is about to slip into poverty due to COVID-19.

We must ensure that India emerges from the pandemic stronger, without whittling away the gains made by people’s movements in last few decades and its systems more robust having withstood the worst crisis the country has faced this century. The rights of India’s majority—its women, its poor Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims, its labouring Informal workers, its trudging migrant workers and its hard working middle class need to be prioritised over the profits of companies and the super-rich.

The fightback of parents, patients, media and the legal community against privatisation of education and health needs to be strengthened and amplified to protect the idea of a state that works for the majority of India’s citizens.

Just before the pandemic, our country witnessed waves of protest to protect progressive values, civil liberties, and fraternity. This our chance to create similar movements for essential services like food, health, and education. Time is ripe to not just extend solidarities to protesting health workers, teachers or farmers but also build people’s movements based on welfare politics to rebuild the economy which will work for all, not just for the privileged.

Akshay Tarfe works as campaign consultant at Oxfam India. The organisation is currently running #RightsOverProfits, a national campaign against commercialisation of health and education.

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