the middle class to 6.6 crore from the 9.9 crore prior to the pandemic , and the lower middle class to 116.2 crore from 119.7 crore .
The second policy confusion is determining from where the 24 crore-paying population is to come from for buying the vaccine at the rates laid down by the government . The inequity this policy will generate between the rich and poor , urban and rural is embedded and will be hard to justify , besides clouding the actual requirement of vaccines for the government to administer . In other words , the demand may be more for free vaccines while the self-imposed ceiling of 75 % of stocks may create artificial scarcities .
Or is there an assumption that 75 % coverage would ensure herd immunity and , with some luck , the pandemic may just blow over ? Concerns
Apart from concerns of ethics and morality , the ‘ two steps forward , one step backward ’ policy fix has
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THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS
The long-postponed third annual session of the All-India Trade Union Congress at last met . Those who expected a new leadership from this quarter have been disappointed . The gathering at Lahore was a workingclass affair only in name . The spirit that reigned there was one of pure nationalism and humanitarian idealism Nationalist leaders representing practically all the classes of our society except the working-class , arrogated to themselves the role of “ labour delegates .” Their monopoly was broken only by a few incipient labourites who vehemently opposed any political action on the part of the trade unions . The gathering as a whole however , acted from the beginning to the end as an adjunct to the National Congress , actuated partly by the pious desire to “ uplift ” the downtrodden masses and
6 given rise to another set of issues necessitating simplification of the policy design . One , the idea of manipulating markets is not as smart as it sounds . Piecemeal orders increase investment risk for a company . Besides , delivering and processing small orders by multiple small entities ( private hospitals ) located in remote areas would further add to costs impacting the price at the point of delivery . Since price must ensure a minimum return on investment , it is critical that such complexities be addressed .
Two , the small and medium private hospitals that have the reach in Tier 2 towns and rural areas do not have deep pockets to buy such costly vaccines . Given vaccine hesitancy , heightened by a constrained ability to pay , the mutating virus and constant shifts in vaccine dosage and periodicity due to emerging evidence , the additional burden of organising quality assurance all add to the risk .
Three , differential pricing and dual markets provide wrong
partly by the anxiety to find ways and means of enlisting the services of the working-class for the cause of bourgeois nationalism , whose triumph will signify the increased exploitation of the masses .
The following quotation from the ‘ Nation ’, which breathes the spirit of the All-India Trade Union Congress , is a graphic picture of what the Lahore gathering was and what could be expected of it . On March 27th the ‘ Nation ’ writes : “ A huge fleet of motorcars drove up to the gate of the Bradlaugh Hall , and vociferous cheers greeted the arrival of the leaders . The hall was gaily decorated with wreaths of flowers . Several parties of musicians were present who sang national songs until the arrival of the President-elect . As soon as the Deshbandhu ’ s car drove up shouts of “ Bande Mataram ” and “ Deshbandhu Das ki jai ” went up from all quarters . Many other ladies and gentlemen were present . And so on incentives and result in unhealthy competition , illegal charging for vaccines in government facilities , siphoning , diversion and leakage of the free vaccines to the private markets where in large swathes of the country it is the government doctors that double up as owners of private enterprises .
Clearly , there is a need to simplify the policy with the government as the sole procurer . Implementation must be in accordance with district-level micro plans incorporating the public and private sector , to cover target groups as specified in accordance with epidemiological data . The objective has to be to restore normalcy , kick-start the economy , start schools and ensure people ’ s well-being . It is not the time to ask people to share costs when the economy is tanking . Vaccines are our only lifeline . They should be freely available and accessible to all , not only to the privileged few . v
and so on went the description of the gathering which was supposed to be composed of the representatives of Indian workers living on starvation wages , or at least of sincere reformers moved by the misery of the poor ! To such an elite or intellect and opulence did the naive Deshbandhu preach his doctrine of “ Swaraj for the 98 per cent !”
The president , whose Utopianism seems to be still struggling against the pragmatic politics of his rationalist associates , could not but feel a bit uneasy in the midst of this mockery , and in his concluding speech observed . “ One criticism that has been leveled against us is that we have a Trade Union Congress in which there are not many workers . Let us hope in a few years the delegates will be the labourers themselves . “ A pious hope indeed : but do the present selfappointed labourites permit us to share the hope of Mr . Das ? v
Class Struggle