Income support? Stimulus package? Hunger? What Modi did not address in his speech extending lockdown

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on television yet again on Tuesday to tell Indians that they will need to stay at home until May 3.… Through most of these addresses, Modi has focused on telling Indians what they need to do – whether it is social distancing, banging pots and pans or lighting candles – rather than what the government is doing for them.…

The best way to reassure Indians would be to explain how the government has made use of the last three weeks of lockdown, a period during which Indians have endured indiscriminate state violence, tremendous economic distress, hunger and even scores of deaths. Instead, Modi made some broad claims about government action and then moved on to giving his countrymen sevens instructions.

The prime minister did announce that his speech would be followed by guidelines on what would be permitted over the next weeks. Yet there is much more information that his government ought to provide to the people, if they are being asked to follow these rules and endure more distress through the rest of April.…

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The face of hunger in Indian coronavirus lockdown: Viral video shows a man and dogs sharing milk spilled on the road (Apr 14, 2020, Gulf News)

For Bengali Muslim Migrants in Wadala, Discrimination and Hunger Go Hand in Hand (Apr 14, 2020, The Wire)

Starvation deaths, as 33% poor devoid of food security: Demand to universalize PDS (Apr 14, 2020, Counterview)

62.5% People don’t Have Money for Essentials for More than 3 Weeks (Apr 13, 2020, Clarion India)