How has COVID-19 Intensified the Plight of India’s Poor?
How has COVID-19 Intensified the Plight of India’s Poor?
The COVID-19 pandemic took over the entire world at a lightning-fast speed and threw every sense of normalcy out of the window. This virus has made us witness disease, death, and tragedies in ways that we could have never imagined earlier. But more than anything else, the pandemic put more focus on the multiple grave issues plaguing our society. In a developing nation like India, it intensified pre-existing inequalities of all kinds - poverty in particular. A trusted NGO in Mumbai, VASTRA has taken significant efforts to help those in need during this especially challenging time.
COVID-19 and its impact on the global economy
- According to World Bank Open Data estimates, the pandemic brought in a dramatic rise in global poverty levels after twenty years. Approximately, 97 million more people across the globe are now living in extreme poverty, which has further increased the number of people already living below the poverty line.
- As per the World Inequality Database, the income disparity has widened further with the top 1% of the world population amassing around 38% of global wealth. Although income distribution isnt the only scale to assess poverty and inequality, it shows how difficult it is for the poor to avail the most basic necessities of life.
How the pandemic aggravated the plight of the poor in India
- In India, the past two years have made it as clear as crystal that there is, in fact, inequality in death too. The nations wealthy made it to the news for increasing their fortune, while in a stark contrast to that, the destitute sank further into the depths of despair.
- Owing to lockdown restrictions, several small businesses in the country shut down and led to many needy people losing their jobs. The rise in unemployment further aggravated the already dire situation of the poor, making their daily survival tough in every possible manner.
- A large number of poverty-stricken people lost either their own lives or those of their loved ones to this deadly virus, because they did not possess the financial resources to access quality healthcare essential to surviving this global pandemic.
Redefining poverty through the pandemic perspective
Poverty is an extraordinary phenomenon that presents itself in simple ways that have generalised how most of us look at it. It is not just about hunger, homelessness, or beggary, but instead it also impacts several other aspects such as health, education, etc. It also includes individual experiences that may vary from one underprivileged person to another in their daily struggles which have become a lot more severe during this pandemic.
Considering the harsh impact of the pandemic on the poor, many business organisations have contributed to improve the living conditions of the underprivileged under their initiatives for Corporate Social Responsibility in India. Among the various results youll find on running an online search for NGO nearby me VASTRA is one of the credible NGOs that has always worked selflessly and tirelessly to uplift the poor by providing them with access to various basic facilities necessary for survival.
