Vishal Dadlani: Govt neglected providing daily wagers with basic facilities during lockdown

Daily wage-earners  who  have lost their jobs in  the  cities  and are  trying to head back to their native homes, find themselves facing starvation because  of the serpentine spread  of the Coronavirus.

While stars and other denizens  of  the super-privileged classes have been  donating  generously to relief funds to fight the  virus,  the poor are out on the streets  with nowhere  to go.

Like many  of us , musician singer Vishal Dadlani is  very angry and upset at the plight of the under-privileged.

He says, “They, the poor, are us. It's not a different society. The privileged have to understand that first. All our fates are interlinked. Sadly, for all its words, the Government has completely neglected to provide facilities, infrastructure and relief for the daily-wagers and the poor, leaving them without basic necessities.”

Vishal  isn’t overlooking the efforts  of the state governments to help the  financially bankrupted sections of people. “State Governments are doing what they can.But it will take a coordinated National effort, which is missing. Once again, we are facing a disaster that will arise from a lack of planning and understanding the situation. Mere gestures are not solutions. Where Germany has put 20% of its GDP towards its Corona Relief package, India has not even allocated 1%. We need to fix this, and provide for the health of our country.”

Regarding  the generous donations from the  super-privileged,  Vishal, like many of us wonders  if the money is going to  the  right place.

Says Vishal, “We have no way of  knowing. For this, we have no choice but to go on faith. India has a long and checkered history with misappropriated relief funds, and that's clearly not going to be solved today. Personally, I never donate to any government charities. I donate via charities who I know are doing amazing work and are transparent about how the money they receive is deployed. But if people are enamoured by the PM and his call to donate, that's good too, and I'm all for it. Whatever helps the poor, and the country as a whole, has my support.”

Confined to his home Vishal says he is working and  exercising at  home. “Naturally. These are two things that will keep us sane. Introspection, yes. I'm reading a lot more than watching films, yes. This  period  of confinement is also prodding me to realise the pointlessness of a lot of things that seem immediate and urgent in the world, and the importance of a lot of stuff we take for granted.”