Shocking videos have been making rounds showing extreme hunger and starvation among people, especially the migrants. When Delhi-Purnea Shramik train halted at Katihar railway station, a scuffle ensued between migrant workers over free food packets, which were being distributed. Reportedly, they had been hungry for a few days which led to this unruly behavior. The real problem is not the actions of migrant workers but the conditions which led them to take such actions. It is unfortunate that they were forced to such actions to quell a basic need. Hunger is a primal instinct and prolonged hunger can lead to unexpected behavior. Another video went viral on social media where migrant workers ransacked food vending machine and took away the supplies. This is a classic ethical dilemma. Would you support someone who steals to satisfy his hunger? One might argue that theft is a crime and if such incidences are taken lightly they may spread and create chaos. However, we are already in the mid
If anything, the current pandemic has exposed the inadequacy or abject failure of current institutional arrangements to meet unexpected and daunting challenges confronting the world. To say it happened without a warning might be incorrect. Ironically a warning about Corona like virus came from the poster boy of Capitalism, Bill Gates, five years ago! And yet we are where we are. I venture to argue that we are in our current predicament due to faulty institutional arrangements. It has been argued by experts that defence expenditure exceeds pubic healthcare expenditure and we have misplaced priorities. This is not a one off example but a pattern. Consider this, importance is given to defence, artificial intelligence, Industrial revolution 4.0, 5G, Space and arms race as compared to food, clothing, shelter, education and sanitation for all. The former more glamorous the latter more rudimentary yet essential. It is time every country invests limited resources on things that matter, it is