Coordination and Cooperation During Covid-19 and Lockdown

We are witnessing one of the great threats to humanity and unknown challenge to survive in the face of uncertainty. The US Government accepted that the US alone will see over 1,00,000 deaths by August 2020 and President Trump in his characteristic way said that he is doing fine is the projected death toll of 2 million is reduced to 1,00,000.

What about India in the coming month? No one has any idea as we do not see regular briefings with the government, health ministry, economists, and scientific labs. India at this point is literally Bhagwan Bharose (whatever is God’s will). Whatever is God’s will, Indians are going to suffer the most, particularly the lower caste and the poor and generally lower caste and poverty coincide.

Responding to the situation many small and big, registered and unregistered, local and regional, and a variety of organisations are out to help and this help is needed all over the places. Most of our efforts have been focussed on ensuring food supply to the needy and marginalised people. And rightly so. But at some stage in the future, we may have to do more than supplying food and essential goods.

What should we do?

1. Advocacy at the local, state, and union Government

Whoever is ruling does not matter as the Government is the single largest organisation and most resourceful cannot be neglected. Challenging the government to do what the citizens’ needs is the hallmark of democracy and no government can neglect its duty. The advocacy with the government at the local, state and national level is very important.

2. Coordination among the Ambedkarite, Buddhist, and other like-minded organizations sympathetic to the needy and marginalized

The coordination should not be just limited to relief work. We need to start focussing on other emerging needs.

The needs for masks, sanitizers, and other useful things will be felt acutely when more people are infected with the virus.

We have to either secure them from the government or private or from charities, but things like masks can be easily produced. We may think of producing masks. Many useful videos are available on Youtube.

We should start building a network of our organisations so that we can share resources, information, and guide each other.

3. Developing multipurpose and integrated platform for the diverse organisation

We can develop a platform of the organisation from the ground up. We have to use the resource of community centres, Buddha Vihar, Churches, Gurudwaras. We have to start building vertical networks that will reach to the last person and also a horizontal network that will bring together Specialists groups like doctors, medical workers, social workers, industrialists, manufacturers, government servants, artists, and so on.

In the end, it is clear that we need the mobilisation of people, resources, knowledge, and courage hitherto unknown to us and on a vast scale.

We should be geared up to it.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist