India, Poverty and Coronavirus

Traffic lights and markets are usually the most prone places where beggers gathers in large numbers to earn their loaves of bread, while they often touch and ask for money from those who are privileged. So far, only higher middle-class people are under the radar of the disease in India while many poor are fearing for their lives.

As Coronavirus is a transmittable disease and can stay up to many hours on a surface, it has become a challenge for all-encompassing the world.

Indian Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot confirmed that fact in 2018 that the nation has more than four hundred thousand (400,000) beggers with the highest of eighty-thousand in the state of West Bengal alone. "At least 4,13,670 beggars reside in India, which consists of 2,21,673 males and 1,91,997 females." added the leader.

The question arises that in case any of these people get in touch with the disease, the situation might become uncontrollable for India authorities. People admitted in isolation wards of Indian hospitals are already complaining about the miserable hygiene conditions.

For instance, in places like Dharavi, which is amongst the largest slums in the world, social-distancing is merely impossible because there 700,000 people are residing in an area of just over 2.1 square kilometres.

In such densely populated places, the outbreak can lead to contamination to numerous and result as a nightmare for the government, which is currently attempting to control the situation with public curfews.

The total number of Coronavirus Pandemic cases have risen to 341 in India, while five has lost their lives to this deadly virus in the country. Centre and State governments have announced curfews throughout the nation in order to handle the situation that is getting out of hands.

The authorities in India have denied expanding coronavirus testing despite understanding the fact that limited testing can leave several cases unidentified. So far, the second-most populous country has been testing those who have a travel history to the outbreak prone nations and come in contact with an infected individual or shown any symptoms of the disease under quarantine. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stated there was no requirement to increase such testing.

India, which is the second-most populous nation in the world, has 22 per cent of its population below the poverty line as per the 2015 census.