The Worst Human Tragedy
Irrespective of geographical
boundaries and color of skin, the need of the hour is to wage a war against
corona with all unanimity and unity in order to avert the worst tragedy in the
history of mankind
By Mukesh Sharma
Ramlal Yadav (name changed) who hails from Bihar, has been living in Delhi for 10 years with his family of four dependents- a wife, two school going daughters and an aged mother. He has been working with a private company, and he is the sole bread winner of the family. On the advice of a property dealer, he raised a loan for rupees seven lakhs from a private financial institution/company to purchase a 1 BHK flat worth 15 lakh in a private colony.The balance he arranged by selling his land in his village in Bihar and all family silver. Despite the RBI announcement, the loaner has deducted the EMI for the current month and showing the deducted amount as an arrear. The loaner says a loanee can avail of the moratorium for three months as per the RBI guidelines but after three months, one will have pay up all the arrear in one-go. If it remains unpaid, the arrear shall be added to principal amount with compound interest. Ramlal further reveals that his employer who had been facing financial problems even before corona crisis, is unlikely to survive the loss due to lockdown. If the company shut down, Ramlal would be on the road. Further, if the EMI of private financier is not paid on time, he will ‘bleed’ him to death. Uncertain of future, the entire family of Ramlal has been living in fear of ‘Aftermath of Corona’.
The true story of Ramlal could be the story of hundreds of
common people struggling to survive the hunger in lockdown
The history wears the witness that the man has weathered
many storms in the glorious history of mankind, and , undoubtedly, would also
emerge as a ‘Conquerer of Corona’
sooner or later in very near future, but what is more disturbing and dreadful is
the aftermath of corona ‘calamity’ which is most likely to end up as Human Tragedy worse than the imaginary
details of aftermath of third world war.
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| Human tragedy |
Not to speak of third and fourth world countries, even first
and second world countries have come to their knees in the wake of ‘attack’ by
the most dreaded and deadliest Corona.
Sources reveal nearly 17 millions
Americans have filed for new claim benefits since the corona outbreak in US.
Though the Trump government has offered $ 2.3 trillion stimulus package aimed
at helping States, cities and midsize businesses, people contend that it would
be rather challenging to cope up with the aftermath situation in post Corona
period, particularly, when New York has become another Wuhan, and America has
registered the highest number of confirmed Corona positive cases with mounting
death toll day in and day out in hundreds and still counting. And Europe is
still struggling to come out of Corona ‘carnage’. Future is not only tense but
uncertain. It is a war like situation in entire world.
Though the Modi government is being praised for timely
decision on lockdown and sealing certain earmarked ‘hotspot’ resulting in slow
rise of corona cases, the post corona period shall be a daunting task in India too where unofficially over 35 per cent people are below poverty line. Majority of
such people work in unorganized sector – they are daily wage earners. Even
those who work with organized private sector, are likely to face layoff as
a possible fallout of corona crisis.
The experts maintain that a huge downfall
of GDP around $ 250 billion is expected in India in the wake of corona crisis. Even
the Chairman N. Chandrasekaran of blue
chip company like Tata Sons has asked his all group of companies to “conserve
cash for 2020-21”.
Further more, the plight of
self-employed small-time businessmen would be pathetic. The most of such people
run their business by seeking loans from private banks/institutions. Private
banks have enough leeway to tighten the noose around the neck of their
customers in the event defaults. Despite the announcement of RBI for three months reprieve to all
loanees, the banks are asking the loanees to pay up their EMI failing which the
arrear would be added to principal amount with compound interest. Further,
after the moratorium period of three months, a loanee must deposit the total outstanding
amount in one go. “What kind of relief
it is” says a loanee spitefully.“
What netas say they don’t mean it and what they don’t say they mean it.”
Though India has announced a $ 23bn relief package, how the
money will reach the needed people, is a big question, particularly, when
corruption is inevitable part of working culture of India. Government’s
dedicated schemes often fail because of dishonest execution by a few black
sheep - the corrupt government officials
who are hand-in-glove with corrupt netas.
It is not easy to root out orchestrated white collar crime in India and that is
the reason for huge trust deficit
among the Indian populace.
Irrespective of
geographical boundaries and color of skin, the need of the hour is to wage a war
against corona with all unanimity and unity in order to avert the worst human tragedy
in the history of mankind.
