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What’s the Agenda Here?
Barun Mitra takes a look at the
underlying nature of the government’s tsunami relief
operations, and asks if this crisis is another opportunity to
expand the government.
After the disaster, comes the accounting. As the body count
crosses 150,000, the Indian government scrambles to reassure
citizens that relief and rehabilitation measures are being
dealt with on a war footing.
Everyone agrees that human cost of this tragedy will far
outstrip the economic cost of damage to property and economy.
After all, how much is a poor coastal fisherman in a poor
country worth?
What we gather from the media are reports of too much
used clothing at one spot, no drinking water at another, angry
victims turning their wrath on hapless government servants at
a third spot, or evacuation of victims going on one whole week
after the tsunami. Not the most reassuring picture, this.
Relevant information or the lack thereof, continues to be a
major hurdle. While the government is seeking to centralize
the flow of information, is it better placed to process the
volume of information that is being generated? There is so
much information available on the Internet. One snippet
informs that a simple cycle air pump could greatly help
improve the efficiency of the water filtration process.
Another snippet says that the sea water around Nicobar is
thought to be conducive to carry cholera. Most water sources
in that island having been polluted, special attention needs
to be paid to this potential problem.
While the tragedy has been global in scope, affecting people
in more than fifty countries, the response has been truly
international. Money is being raised around the world. By one
count, pledges worth USD 2 billion have been made by
international governments, agencies, and charities, and is
growing.
However, India has politely declined all offers of help from
abroad. Apparently, help from the US and other Western nations
are suspect. What the suspicions are, remain unclear at best.
Is it better to sacrifice the basic human security of our
people, in the name of national security or self-reliance?
It would seem petty to raise issues of policy when millions of
people are waiting for relief and rehabilitation. The point is
that policies that have perpetuated poverty for decades will
be the biggest obstacle to reaching relief to the victims
today, and in facilitating rehabilitation tomorrow.
We know that the poor are the most vulnerable to natural
calamities. The question here is, what has been the role of
their governments in removing poverty, or even allowing the
poor to work themselves out of the rut through conducive
economic environment?
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