# 1 Indian American Weekly: Since 2006 VOL 14 ISSUE 16 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● APR 17 - 23, 2020 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 www.theindianpanorama.news AMERICA HAPPY RAMADAN UNITED AGAINST Governor Cuomo extends COVID-19 KEEP SAFE lockdown of State until May 15 ● Follow President Trump's Guidelines on Coronavirus Says, 'Our goal is that the "new normal" will be a better New York' ● Observe Social Distancing NEW YORK(TIP): New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on ● Wash Hands Frequently Thursday, April 16, extended the state's lockdown for ● No Panic Buying another month, keeping schools and nonessential ● No Price Gouging businesses closed until at least May 15. The news came KEEP AMERICA SAFE after the governor announced that the daily death toll, along with hospitalization and intensive care unit Indian-American attorney Ravi admissions, have decreased. While about 2,000 people Batra accuses China of received a COVID-19 diagnosis in the state on creating COVID-19 in a Lab Wednesday, that number has decreased. The numbers of Urges Trump to Seek people being sent to ICUs and requiring ventilators are Compensation from China contd on Page 32 Appreciating New Yorkers, Cuomo said, 'I trust New Yorkers, you know. I believe if the facts are presented to the people of the state, New Yorkers will do the right thing. India’s Governance Response to Covid-19 Government of India is acutely aware of the need to balance our central concern about the welfare of our citizens with our NEW YORK (TIP): Alleging that By Sandeep global responsibilities. coronavirus was genetically-engineered Chakravorty in a Wuhan lab, an Indian-American extended to May 3, 2020 in view of the survivor of the deadly virus has urged need to stop the spread of Corona virus. President Donald Trump to seek n April 14, 2020 Mr. Narendra Such a decision was expected and largely compensation from China, running into Modi, Prime Minister of India welcomed despite the economic hardship India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi trillions of dollars, for the thousands of Oaddressed the nation to announce it entails for the country, particularly for announced, April 14, extension of the deaths and harming the American that the lockdown in the country will be the poor. contd on Page 2 coronavirus lockdown till May 3 economy. contd on Page 6 THE INDIAN PANORAMA 2 NY/NJ/CT FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 India’s Governance Response to Covid-19 contd from page 1 (airports, major and minor ports, land borders) was shelters housing 1.25 million individuals. An additional initiated on January 17, 2020. Visa and travel restrictions 360,000 workers have been provided shelter by industry.7.5 There is national consensus that lockdown and social were imposed on foreign nationals on February 5. All visas million individuals are being fed through this network of distancing is the only effective way to prevent the spread of were suspended on March 11 and incoming flights were camps and shelters plus another 19,460 food the virus and also reduce the burden on the healthcare suspended from March 19. Incoming passengers were camps/distribution points. The public health aspect of system. placed under daily surveillance through the Integrated this movement has not been neglected and the camps have However, India's anti-corona virus strategies are not Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) Network and been linked to a network of quarantine facilities and limited to the lockdown. In fact a layered and multi- monitored through a national online portal. The portal testing laboratories. The nationwide response to assist stakeholder, multi-pronged strategy is in place providing a aggregates data and maintains a log of all community these workers and their families highlighted the popular governance response in India to the COVID-19 pandemic. It contacts of positive cases. 621,000 passengers were understanding of the rationale behind the lockdown. is noteworthy that India, a country of 1.3 billion, has been monitored and not a single positive case in this universe MITIGATION MEASURES able to limit the number of deaths to 420 in the period since has been able to mix with the general population. Prime Ministers Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) was January 30, 2020 when the first case was detected to April MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS launched to mitigate the hardships being faced by the poor 16, 2020 when we go to press. Reported cases in India are The lockdown is accompanied by a nationwide effort to and disadvantaged. It attempts to create a security net much lower than the global incidence rate. The pandemic enhance medical preparedness. A network of labs across particularly for the disadvantaged sections of society that has also been contained geographically with negligible the country has been set up to facilitate early and timely are worst affected in such situations. Senior citizens, "community" transmission. sample testing. 223 labs are operational. State Nodal widows, the physically challenged, women, workers and Prime Minister Modi has led a pandemic response that Officers have been appointed and specific labs have been others who are most vulnerable have been identified. Food is historic in its ambition and complexity.Technology and designated for States. A national Hospital preparedness supplies, cooking gas, financial support and other forms of administrative methods are supplemented by the effort is underway to ensure availability of beds. Health support are being delivered on nationwide basis. This strengths of our collective consciousness and our ancient facilities of the Defence, Labour, Railways, Home enormous exercise involves a financial outlay of INR philosophy. It is a sui generis crisis management (paramilitary forces) and Steel Ministries and other 170,000 crore/ USD 22 billion. Disbursal has commenced operation. The strategy leverages the deep reservoir of Central and State government Institutions can be enlisted and the support is reaching those who need it the most. national resolve to confront the current challenge as one to augment hospital capacity if required. Currently there The management of essential services for the general nation and one people. It is being conducted in a are 1,71,415 isolation beds available in Govt. Sector (with 2- population is a very high priority and is being constantly democratic setting. Parliament has debated this crisis 3 Stadiums on stand-by in West Bengal), in addition 24,383 monitored. extensively.Prime Minister has also consulted and sought beds are available through Army, Para-Military forces, INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS inputs from the entire political spectrum. The Union and Railways and Labour Ministries. Personal Protective This is a global pandemic and requires a global response. State executives have mobilized and are working as an Equipment (PPEs), ventilators, essential drugs and other Prime Minister Modi has led the SAARC initiative and is integrated unit. Prime Minister manages the effort at the consumables are being stockpiled and buffer stocks are also actively involved in G-20 wide coordination. The highest political and executive level. A Group of Ministers, being constantly monitored. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has created a COVID Committee of Secretaries and Empowered Groups provide Guidelines on every aspect of COVID-19 management cell and is actively coordinating the global response. It is political leadership and operational direction. At the have been widely disseminated. Medical and paramedical monitoring the condition of stranded Indians on a regular operational level, Cabinet Secretary and Health Secretary personnel and Rapid Response Teams nationwide are basis. A global procurement and supply chain support are coordinating in real-time, through multiple receiving orientation on infection prevention, clinical effort has been launched to enhance our medical videoconferences, a system-wide response that is being management and protocols etc. Videoconferences are held preparedness. More than 4000 requests from 63 harmonized across all of India's 728 districts. The decisive regularly between central and state authorities to review countries/regions for medicines like paracetamol have Indian response was initiated much before WHO declared status. A massive contact tracing operation is continuing been cleared on humanitarian grounds. It is part of India's COVID 19 to be "Public Health Emergency of International on a nationwide scale to pre-empt transmission. A public efforts to contribute to the global efforts to combat the Concern" on January 30, 2020 and before the first health communication exercise has been in operation Covid-19 pandemic. It is also a symbol of our solidarity confirmed COVID positive case was reported, also on since January 2020. Social media platforms and webpages towards all the countries who require these medicines January 30, 2020. This was a day before Italy saw its first of Government are pushing out information about basic during this hour of need. MEA has also coordinated case on January 31. By that time, surveillance and preventive steps. TV & Radio channels were mobilized and inward and outward evacuations on a massive scale. It is screening of passengers had commenced in India and an advertisement campaign launched. also important to note that evacuation is possible only States had been alerted. The crisis management system Aarogya Setu (https://www.mygov.in/aarogya-setu- under very special conditions and for a limited number of had started operating at full speed. Let us examine in detail app/), a mobile app has been developed