The 'Essential' Estrangement
Amid the spread of deadly COVID-19 (or C-19) virus, countries around the globe have gone under lockdown. Countries are under complete or partial lockdowns, except a few. India, a country with 1.3 billion people, is under curfew for 21 days till April 15. Soon after the announcement of lockdown by the Prime Minister, people stepped out in masses to stock up their refrigerators and kitchen cabinets with food items for the coming weeks. However, in poverty-stricken India, one does not have to be outrageously creative to imagine thousands of people starving without food if the government did not take effective steps to ensure food security of millions of poor and downtrodden. The government came up with guidelines for the lockdown and list of essential commodities which will be available to the public during the lockdown. The essential commodities which the Government of India notified includes vegetables, sanitizers, masks, milk, etc., The public was instructed to step o...