Prashant Kishor slams India's Coronavirus response; says the nation deserves better

Amid rising coronavirus cases in the country, former JDU vice president Prashant Kishor has said that India's measure to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak needs to get better. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, he said that the 21-day lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'botched up' and there is less than 10 percent COVID test per million. He ended his post using a  #IndiaDeservesBetter. 

Earlier, attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not addressing the issue of stranded migrant workers throughout India and poor labourers, he questioned why he had not offered aid to them. He pointed out that most governments were helping their own people, adding 'When will Bihar govt extend help or evacuate stranded Biharis?'.

Bihar's step for stranded workers, daily-wage laboureres

On March 26, CM Kumar announced that his government will coordinate with other states and bear the expenses of migrant workers, who might have been stranded there owing to the three-week-long nationwide lockdown. CM Kumar made the announcement at a high-level meeting he chaired here to review the situation arising out of the outbreak of the disease.

The CM also said that a sum of Rs 100 crore has been released from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund which would be utilized by the disaster management department for setting up shelters for rickshaw pullers and daily-wage earners who might be living away from their homes.

"Coronavirus vaccine still 12 to 18 months away," says WHO as Covid-19 global count soars

Coronavirus in India

As of March 28, India has reported  791 cases so far, and 19 deaths. To tackle the growing cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. The highest number of cases have been reported from Kerala - 176 cases and Maharashtra - 156 cases. 

COVID-19: MHA releases new lockdown guidelines; farming & related activities to operate

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday, has published a study warning about community transmission of the pandemic that may take place from a minimum of 20 days to a few months. It also states that by quarantining of individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 can delay the introduction of the virus into the community by three days to three weeks  - which in turn reduces cumulative cases by 62%  and the peak number of cases by 89%, in an optimistic scenario. 

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