India's pandemic response, focused on saving lives and livelihoods, restricted the COVID-19 spread by 37 lakh cases and saved more than 1 lakh lives, as per the Economic Survey 2020-21. The pre-budget document noted that in the absence of a potent cure or a preventive vaccine, the interplay of network structures in densely populated areas, and a high case fatality rate (CFR), India weighed the costs and opportunities strategically. "By estimating the natural number of cases and deaths expected across countries based on their population, population density, demographics, tests conducted, and the health infrastructure, we compare these estimates with actual numbers to show that India restricted the COVID-19