May 5, 2021
Even as India fights a deadly Covid-19 crisis, a real estate project in the capital city has been the center of many discussions for several weeks now.
The Central Vista project, an estimated Rs20,000 crore ($2.8 billion) development of a new power corridor in New Delhi, is being widely debated and criticised as work at the site continues at full speed even after the capital city saw a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths.
Many believe that the project reflects the Narendra Modi government’s misplaced priorities.
What is the Central Vista project?
One of the most ambitious projects of the Modi government, the Central Vista will include a new parliament house to replace the current one that was constructed 93-year-old ago, new residences for the prime minister and the vice-president, and offices for several central government departments. These new buildings are being constructed along the Rashtrapati Bhavan-India Gate stretch in central Delhi.
The multibillion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament was finally suspended today (May 4).
In India, there are around 400,000 new daily Covid-19 infections (that we know of); a lack of hospital beds, vaccines, and oxygen supplies; and bodies cremated wherever grieving relatives can find space.
But until now, some of the world’s best players, along with support staff, TV crews, and the entire machinery of a major sporting event except spectators were still moving around the country in Covid-secure bubbles. Medical resources are severely limited in India, and questions were raised about whether any should be diverted to athletes rather than desperate patients.
India’s clamour for help on the internet has been relentless.
Between April 5 and April 20, searches for “oxygen” on Google, Flipkart, Amazon, and YouTube apps went up 60 times, according to market intelligence firm Kalagato.
Searches for “oxygen concentrators” and “oxygen cylinders” also clocked a massive surge during the period.
About 15% of those who have tested positive require oxygen therapy, Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told National Herald. Then, there are thousands of people who’ve not been able to get tested or gotten false-negative results.
The curious case of oxygen and ventilators
Searches for ventilators surged 12 times in April as compared to the start of the year, Kalagato data show.
May 3, 2021
At a time when thousands of Indians are struggling to pay hospital bills, buy medicines, and even afford cremations for their family members who have lost their lives to Covid-19, most of the country’s much-celebrated billionaires are either MIA or contributing in a way that can be called symbolic, at best.
On May 2, India registered over 392,488 new cases of Covid-19, a 29th consecutive day of more than 100,000 daily new cases. In April alone, the country has seen around 50,000 deaths due to the disease.
Yet, most of the ultrarich have so far not stepped up to help out the needy not publicly, at least.