RNI No. DELENG/2020/79244 ISSN 2347-1522 Vol. II Issue No. 4 July-August 2021 India Foundation Journal Focus : COVID and After Covid-19: Preparing for the Third Wave - Dhruv C Katoch A Vision for the Public-Health System in India: - Aakansha Bhawsar Transformed, Expanded and Redefined The Covid-19 Pandemic: Confronting New Challenges - Prabha Rao Internal Security Challenges - K N Pandita Covid-19: Impact on The Indian Economy and - S. Lingamurthy and Employment - Way Forward Anandi Gunda Dealing with Unconventional Threats - Srambikal Sudhakaran Dealing with the Pandemic: Contribution of NGOs - Shreya Challagalla Interview Afghanistan post the Withdrawal of US Forces: - Dhruv C Katoch An Interview with Ms Naheed A Farid Society and the State Securing the Nation: Conventional Threats - Sumit Mukerji Role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in - Santhosh Mathew Achieving Equity in Education and SDG 4 Table of Contents Editor’s Note Building the Right Narratives ............................................................................ Dhruv C. Katoch 3 Focus: COVID and After Covid-19: Preparing for the Third Wave .......................................................... Dhruv C. Katoch 4 A Vision for the Public-Health System in India: Transformed, Expanded and Redefined ........................................................ Aakansha Bhawsar 14 The Covid-19 Pandemic: Confronting New Challenges.............................................. Prabha Rao 24 Internal Security Challenges ......................................................................................K N Pandita 32 Covid-19: Impact on The Indian Economy and Employment - Way Forward ................................................ S. Lingamurthy and Anandi Gunda 39 Dealing with Unconventional Threats ..................................................... Srambikal Sudhakaran 47 Dealing with the Pandemic: Contribution of NGOs ........................................ Shreya Challagalla 50 Interview Afghanistan post the Withdrawal of US Forces: An Interview with Ms Naheed A Farid ..........................................................Dhruv C. Katoch 56 Society and the State Securing the Nation: Conventional Threats ........................................................... Sumit Mukerji 62 Role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Achieving Equity in Education and SDG 4 ...................................................... Santhosh Mathew 68 India Foundation Journal, July-August 2021 {1} India Foundation About India Foundation Journal India Foundation is an independent research centre focussed on the issues, challenges, and opportunities of the Vol. II Indian polity. The Foundation believes in understanding Issue No. 4 contemporary India and its global context through the civilizational lens of a society on the forward move. Based on the principles of independence, objectivity and academic July-August 2021 rigour, the Foundation aims at increasing awareness and advocating its views on issues of both national and international importance. Editor With a team of dedicated professionals based at its office Maj Gen (Dr) Dhruv C Katoch in New Delhi, the Foundation works with partners and associates both in India and overseas to further its stated Copyright © India Foundation Journal objectives. Printed on behalf of India Foundation About India Foundation Journal Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi-110020 The India Foundation Journal is led by an Editorial Board of eminent scholars and leaders from various spheres of Indian Published at India Foundation, J-1 and H-1, Ground Floor, public life. The bi-monthly journal covers a wide range of Upasana Building, 1 Hailey Road, Near K.G. Marg, New Delhi - 110001 issues pertinent to the national interest, mainly focusing on international relations, national security, legal and RNI No.- DELENG/2020/79244 constitutional issues and other issues of social, religious and ISSN 2347-1522 political significance. The journal seeks articles from scholars with the intent of creating a significant body of knowledge Annual Subscription - Rs.3000/- Single copy - Rs.500/- with a nationalist perspective and establish a recognised forum for debates involving academicians and policymakers. For advertising details contact Phone: 011- 41654836 / 43012351, [email protected] www.indiafoundation.in {2}{2} India Foundation Journal, July-August 2021 EDITORIAL Building the Right Narratives Dhruv C. Katoch* n a large pluralist country like India, the pursuit Certain landmark reforms of the government of essential policy reforms often gets mired in like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 Icontroversies that can derail or push back the and the new Farm Acts that were enacted in 2020, proposed measures. Political and other compulsions were historic and long overdue. Yet, we have seen of various parties and vested interest groups make significant opposition to these, with anti CAA such reforms and measures convenient issues for protests in Delhi blocking traffic for months on whipping up passions to further their own interests, end and the anti Farm Act protests, which are still even if the same is detrimental to the national cause. ongoing, witnessing protesters at the outskirts of Since independence, building communication Delhi, who refuse to budge from the protest sites. infrastructure in our border areas has been held The challenge of implementing well intentioned hostage to the actions of groups which have reforms are indeed immense, and legislation will opposed such development, ostensibly on grounds no longer be enough to enable the desired changes of preserving the ecology. Why both activities to be executed on the ground. It will have to be cannot be carried out simultaneously is accompanied by a strong narrative, well before such conveniently glossed over. Such groups have also legislations are introduced, so that public opinion is hindered development of our island territories. It firmly behind the changes and the opposition to it is only now, during the past six to seven years, would invite consequences when elections are held. that a concerted push has been given to It reflects poorly on India’s polity that even infrastructure development in our border regions, when India is fighting a pandemic, there are groups but making up for the neglect of decades remains which are instilling fears about the vaccine’s which a huge challenge. are being produced in India and creating a phobia Reforms in the defence sector have also been that is causing vaccine hesitancy in some quarters. tardy, largely due to resistance from certain groups While such fears have been largely allayed by the who have a vested interest in continuation of the government’s proactive approach, the lessons for status quo. Two landmark reforms which have the future are stark and can be ignored only at our finally seen the light of day are the creation of the peril. The need to build the right narrative, debate post of Chief of Defence Staff and more recently, it in public platforms and ensure its wide the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board acceptance is how we need to move in future. (OFB). Defence production has also now been When the country moves to a Uniform Civil Code opened to the private sector and defence items and to nuanced population control measures, it opened up for exports. Had such action been taken would be vital to have a narrative that has been earlier, India’s dependency on foreign equipment debated and accepted across the board, to avoid would have been far less today. any fissures in its implementation. *Maj. Gen. Dhruv C. Katoch is Editor, India Foundation Journal and Director, India Foundation. India Foundation Journal, July-August 2021 {3} FOCUS Covid-19: Preparing for the Third Wave Dhruv C. Katoch* Introduction has been assessing this outbreak around the clock he Covid-19 pandemic, which spread and was deeply concerned by the alarming levels across the world since the beginning of of spread and severity of the disease. He then T2020, had its origin in the SARS-CoV-2 said that “We have therefore made the assessment virus, which originated from the city of Wuhan, that Covid-19 can be characterised as a the capital of the Hubei Province in Central China. pandemic.”2 By this time, however, the disease Coronaviruses are a family of contagious viruses had spread to much of the world, raising questions that can cause a range of mild to severe respiratory about why the WHO delayed such an important illnesses. A mutation of corona virus resulted in announcement, with some alleging that the WHO the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was deliberately covering up for the Chinese. Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was detected and identified in China in December 2019. The Lab Leak Theory The disease was named Covid-19, Covid being a While China and the WHO were propagating shortened name for Corona Virus Disease and 19 the theory that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a reflecting the year of detection. sea food market in Wuhan, a group of researchers Much of the misery of the world could have from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, been avoided had the Chinese government been in February 2020, published a paper to the contrary. upfront with the outbreak, but there was a massive Their report was based on finding four unique cover up, which strangely, was glossed over by inserts in the virus, which were unlikely to be the World Health Organisation (WHO). The first accidental in nature.3