Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan, Abhijit Banerjee outline ways to help the poor
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A homeless man eats along a sidewalk during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Siliguri on April 17, 2020.
"New Delhi: As India is locked in a fight with COVID-19, three of the best minds in economics discussed issues India should sort out for now and post lockdown.
Writing in Indian Express, economist Amartya Sen, Raguram Rajan and Abhijit Banerjee asked India to wisely spend its resources in the coming months.
A large number of people could be pushed into poverty after the extension of lockdown, from losing livelihood and interruptions in delivery mechanisms.
Given this, India should dispel people’s fears and ensure minimum well-being for them, they said alongside outlining a series of measures to help the poor.
They referred to food stocks and disruptions in agriculture markets due to lockdown and said giving away some of the existing stock makes perfect sense.
Taking note of the government’s decision to offer a PDS provision of 5kg per person for three months, they said three months may not be enough.
In addition, they asked the government to set up public canteens for migrants, and send equivalent school meals to students stuck at homes and make use of NGOs to help the marginalized.