india coronavirus

In the second episode of the Police Chowki series, Javeed Ahmad and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya discuss the colonial roots of police legislation in India, the subsequent attempts to reform the Police Act of 1861, the Supreme Court decision in the Prakash Singh case on police reforms, the effectiveness of the reforms and guiding principles for police laws.

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In India, there are growing signs that the country is slowly exiting the second wave of the COVID crisis as people get back to work, localities lift lockdown restrictions, and markets reopen. But the second wave leaves behind a trail of devastation, loss, and widespread anger. And Indians may not have much time to enjoy a return to normalcy, as government officials are already warning of a third wave of the virus.

To discuss where things stand in India today, Milan is joined Niha Masih, a Delhi-based correspondent for the Washington Post. Niha reflects on her family’s struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental toll the pandemic has taken, and the under-reported challenges rural India faces. Plus, the two discuss the Indian government’s new vaccine policy and the political implications of the crisis for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

1. Niha Masih, “My whole family was infected in India’s devastating coronavirus surge. Not all survived,” Washington Post
2. Niha Masih and Taniya Dutta, “As India’s pandemic surge eases, a race begins to prepare for a possible next wave,” Washington Post
3. Niha Masih, “India’s coronavirus crisis spreads to its villages, where health care is hard to find,” Washington Post
4. Joanna Slater, Niha Masih, and Shams Irfan, “In an Indian city, obituaries reveal missing coronavirus deaths and untold suffering,” Washington Post
5. Joanna Slater and Niha Masih, “In India’s devastating coronavirus surge, anger at Modi grows,” Washington Post
6. Milan Vaishnav, “Will voters hold Modi to account for India’s covid-19 crisis? Don’t bet on it,” Washington Post
7. “Sadanand Dhume and Tanvi Madan on the political and foreign policy ramifications of India's COVID second wave,” Grand Tamasha
8. “Samanth Subramanian on India’s Vaccine Conundrum,” Grand Tamasha
9. “Anup Malani on India’s COVID Second Wave,” Grand Tamasha

One of the enduring puzzles about the tragic second wave of COVID is how India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, faces an alarming shortage of vaccines. 

A new essay by the journalist Samanth Subramanian for the online news organization Quartz argues that there’s no single answer, but rather a “timeline of dysfunction” marked by what he calls “government negligence, corporate profiteering, opaque contracting, and the inequities of the global pharmaceutical market."

Samanth is a senior reporter at Quartz covering the future of capitalism. He has previously written for the Guardian Long Read, the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, and WIRED. He's also the author of three books, including A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of JBS Haldane, one of the New York Times'  100 Notable Books of 2020. 

Samanth is Milan’s guest on the show this week and the two discuss how the Indian government has managed the deadly second wave of the COVID pandemic, the role the Serum Institute of India and its enigmatic CEO have played in India’s vaccine production, and the patchy rollout of the government’s vaccine delivery. Plus, the two discuss what the United States and the international community must do to help vaccinate the developing world.

Episode notes:

1. Samanth Subramanian, “In the push for new vaccines, taxpayers keep paying and paying,” Quartz.
2. Samanth Subramanian, “The US’ support for vaccine patent waivers still leaves plenty to be resolved,” Quartz.
3. Samanth Subramanian, “Why is India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, running short of vaccines?” Quartz.
4. Samanth Subramanian, “India is feeling all the pain—and none of the gain—of an undeclared lockdown,” Quartz.

On Sunday, the highly anticipated results from five state assembly elections across India were announced. These results come at a time of great uncertainty in India as the country is in the throes of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus, which is racking up nearly 400,000 new cases every day. 

To help make sense of these elections and how they fit into the broader Indian political landscape, this week on the show Milan speaks with veteran journalist Aditi Phadnis, political editor at the Business Standard. Aditi and Milan discuss the reasons behind Mamata Banerjee’s decisive victory in West Bengal, the Left’s historic showing in Kerala, the BJP’s win in Assam, and the DMK’s comeback in Tamil Nadu. Plus, the two discuss the implications of this election for Indian federalism, governance, and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  

Episode notes: 

1. Milan Vaishnav, “Will voters hold Modi to account for India’s covid-19 crisis? Don’t bet on it,” Washington Post
2. Neelanjan Sircar, “The Bengal model to counter the BJP,” Hindustan Times
3. Aditi Phadnis, “It's BJP again in Assam, but who will be the next chief minister?” Business Standard
4. Aditi Phadnis, “Going gets tougher for Modi govt as election results favour Opposition,” Business Standard
5. Aditi Phadnis, “Mamata Banerjee's wheelchair stops the BJP juggernaut in West Bengal,” Business Standard
6. Aditi Phadnis, “National politics set to change as Mamata Banerjee keeps West Bengal,” Business Standard

It has been a harrowing week for India. The country is reeling under the effects of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus, which is responsible for more than 300,000 new cases a day and more than 2,000 fatalities. And these official numbers are almost certainly a dramatic undercount. 

To understand what is driving this new second wave of the virus and the global health implications of the surge, professor Anup Malani joins Milan on the show this week. Anup is the Lee and Brena Freeman professor at the University of Chicago Law School and a professor at the Pritzker School of Medicine. 

Anup and Milan discuss India’s second COVID wave—what we know, what we don’t know, and what we need to find out. Plus, they discuss the findings of numerous serological studies Anup and his co-authors have conducted across India, the contested role of lockdowns, and the worrying prospect of vaccine nationalism. 

Episode notes:

1. Anup Malani, “Research Notes” newsletter
2. Serological studies carried out by Anup Malani and his co-authors
3. Arvind Gupta et al, “To Friends in the United States: Facilitate Global Vaccine Manufacturing”
4. Amanda Glassman and Rachel Silverman, “The International Community Has One Job: Getting COVID-19 Under Control”