Case climbs to 1263, India fight hunger & virus

India's total positive coronavirus case has crosse 1263 but more than virus the hunger of the millions of poorest had brought literally to its knees as hapless India watches millions walking home, many will perish on the way.

A panic-like situation emerged due to mass exodus of migrant workers from various parts of the country, including the national capital, Maharashtra and Kerala, where a large number of people came out of relief camps and demanded being allowed to go to their homes.

Ten deaths of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients were reported in the last 24 hours — the highest single-day toll so far — taking the total toll to 31. With 124 fresh cases being confirmed till Monday morning, the number of positive cases has now touched 1,263, of which 102 have recovered, leaving 1129 active cases.

A total of 34,931 samples have been tested so far. Thegovernment on Sunday set up 11 empowered groups to coordinate the managementand control of the disease across the country.

The groups will look at issues related to the medical emergency management plan, availability of hospitals, isolation and quarantine beds, availability of critical medical equipment, human resources supply chain management, coordination with the private sector, economic and welfare measures, communication, technology, public grievances and strategic issues on lockdown.

Each group has a representative from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Cabinet Secretariat; they held meetings at the PMO on Sunday. The group on medical emergency is headed by NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul, while NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant heads the group on the private sector. All the others are headed by Secretaries.

Meanwhile, migration has remained a major problem across India but the Government has stuck to the original plan and discouraged migration and rather asked the homeowners not to ask for recent for a month. But that has not improved the situation as more than 10 lakh people in India are walking home, one already died on the road.

There are three hot spots of migration. One is New Delhi, the second one is Kerela and the third one is Gujrat as migrant labourers unable to make both ends meets have started walking home mostly surviving on one meal.

The central government ordered the sealing of all state and district borders to check community transmission of the deadly virus by migrant workers and asked those having left already to be quarantined for 14 days.

The national capital alone reported 23 fresh positive cases,taking its count to 72, while more people tested positive in adjoining Noida asalso in Maharashtra and Bihar, among other states.

"People are talking about the danger of some viruswhich can kill all of us. I don't understand all these. As a mother, I ampained when I cannot feed my children. No one is there to help. All are equallyworried about their lives," Savitri, 30, a New Delhi slum dweller, toldPTI as she walked along the Mathura Highway carrying her belongings on herhead.

"We will die of hunger before any disease if we stayhere," she said, determined to walk 400 km to her village in UttarPradesh's Kannauj district.

This also exposed how lockdown was announced with poor planning and it has received widespread criticism from all round as India once again failed to help its poorest.