ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATION-189

 

Hon. Members, for about a year and a half, the people of the country, and across the world, have been passing through a crisis of the last 100 years in the form of COVID-19 pandemic. This disease has not only dented the health of the people but also the economies across the globe, resulting in a multitude of adverse effects on the lives and livelihoods. The people are living amidst unprecedented uncertainty, and there is no certainty about this uncertainty. Yet, through the collective efforts of the people, the Central Government and the State Governments, and all other stakeholders concerned, we have been able to contain the extent of adversity in the form of infections and mortalities. As a result of¹²⁰ such collective efforts, our country compares favourably with many nations, including those better endowed in terms of resources of all kinds. ¹⁴⁰ But there is no place for complacency. The second wave of the pandemic has tested us severely.¹⁶⁰ The Governments and all others concerned had to work overtime to address these bottlenecks in our health infrastructure. Despite our best efforts, a good number of precious lives have been lost. The need of the hour is to learn from the experiences of the first and second waves, to be better equipped for the possible fresh bouts of the pandemic that are being talked about. Ultimately, we shall collectively overcome the challenge of the invisible coronavirus that has exposed the limits of²⁴⁰ modernity and our pace of living and attitudes as well. One chief lesson to be drawn is that we need to live in harmony with the society and with the environment. Despite huge scientific, medical and technological advances, life cannot²⁸⁰ be taken for granted. We need to reset our minds with attitudes for an even flow of life.

Hon. Members, we have assembled today for the 254th Session of Rajya Sabha which has 19 sittings scheduled. Since the Budget³²⁰ Session last year, three Sessions had to be curtailed and the last Winter Session could not be held. We hope to run through this Monsoon Session in full. People look up to Parliament in their quest for meeting their aspirations and³⁶⁰ alleviating their sufferings. They are living under the pandemic-induced stress since last year. This Monsoon Session, which we hope to be a fuller one, assumes enhanced significance in the context of the prevailing situation in the country, and the sufferings of the people further to be compounded by the possible third wave. Amidst this uncertainty, the Parliament needs to ensure⁴²⁰ the people of required support of all kinds with the necessary interventions with suggestions, pointing out the drawbacks, if any, and also the improvements; and all sections of the House need to constructively ponder over the course of events since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, through informed discussion on all aspects of the problem. It then logically follows⁴⁸⁰ that all of you have to make the best use of this opportunity provided by this Monsoon Session. We cannot afford to let the people down in the hour of pain and suffering. I appeal to all sections of the House to ensure that a meaningful Monsoon Session is held. What is at stake is the credibility of Parliament and its Members. Let us be conscious of the immense responsibility cast upon us. The COVID protocol was followed during the⁵⁶⁰ last Session and will be applicable for this Session also. Some Members will be seated in the Chambers of the House and a few in the Galleries above. But I could see that nobody is there in the Galleries. ⁶⁰⁰ I think, everybody has come to the House. That is not good for you, for the country and for the people. I hope that Rajya Sabha Secretariat circulates the seating arrangement once again so as to intimate the Members to⁶⁴⁰ understand what the arrangement is in this Session. Like the last time, it is for the parties to decide on the seating of their respective Members. Members shall use their Identity Card numbers for all required purposes instead of Division Numbers due to the free seating. No visitors are being allowed to witness the proceedings of the House. Parliamentary papers⁷⁰⁰ and reports will not be circulated in physical form to avoid infections. I am happy to inform you that 224 Members⁷²⁰ of Rajya Sabha have taken vaccination. This includes 207 Members who have taken both the doses and 17 Members who took the first jab. Others are still to be vaccinated for medical reasons. I appeal to all of you to adhere to the norms of COVID appropriate behaviour and lead by example.

Sir, I think I would start by mentioning the constraints, the given situation as it existed when the virus was first detected and the background against which⁸⁰⁰ we are facing this pandemic. First of all, we are facing this pandemic after 100 years. This situation is once in a hundred years. No one was prepared. No Government was prepared. We did not have a legislation for a pandemic. ⁸⁴⁰ We have an Epidemic Diseases Act which was made in 1897. We have a Disaster Management Act of 2005. We were supposed to handle this crisis with only two legislations. The whole world was affected. Absolutely no one was wiser. Even now no one is wiser; not even the medical fraternity. So, every day is a learning experience both in terms of containment and what would be the vaccine strategy. The strategy itself is dynamic. The system demands a dynamic strategy almost on a daily basis or on a weekly basis to address the situation. When it comes to the speed and the spread, the R factor of the virus and its various variants are not known. ⁹⁶⁰ No one knows⁹⁶⁰ everything. To use hindsight to criticize is probably not the best strategy. It is most important to use hindsight to⁹⁸⁰ learn and improve. I remember when we were discussing the statements made by the previous Health Minster in this House, all of us clapped in glory saying that we had handled the pandemic. The concern that was supposed to be raised for subsequent waves of the virus was not present in the entire House. To that extent, we must admit this. I mentioned this constraint because all this points to the fact that we cannot politicize the handling of the pandemic. There can be no politicization of the pandemic because no one is wiser. The relationship between the Centre and¹⁰⁸⁰ the States, the cooperation between the Centre and the States is of paramount importance. If it is left to the States, then the States cannot handle it and even if it is left to the Centre, the Centre alone cannot¹¹²⁰ handle it. Even if both cooperate, then also they cannot handle it because the most important thing is community's participation. This was the most important strategy of our hon. Chief Minister of Odisha because of which we had the least positivity rates in the country, least vaccination hesitancy and least fatalities. Another very important point is that all parties have to cooperate. Next important point that we have to realize is global cooperation. Let us not forget that we got¹²⁰⁰ the vaccine in about ten months' time only because of global cooperation. Otherwise, vaccines used to take about 3-4 years to develop. Similar global cooperation is required even to get the vaccines. Therefore, the Government of India will have to participate and persuade, which the hon. Prime Minister did in G-7 by mentioning the role of developed countries; World Health Organization¹²⁶⁰ has also said that we cannot have a country where they are vaccinating children aged 12 to18 years or¹²⁸⁰ even 2 to 4 years and there are countries in Africa which have not even got the first dose of vaccine. So, global cooperation is required.

Another important thing that has emerged is the use of technology. Increasing use of technology is something that we have realized whether it is in tele-medicines or education or other sectors which are affected by the vaccine. As far as implementation is concerned, the most important thing that has come out is preparedness. We were prepared for the first wave. We were not prepared for the second wave. But in respect of Odisha, let me just recount that we are the first State in India to impose a lockdown in 40 per cent of the¹⁴⁰⁰ State. I am talking about the first wave. It was the first State to have Government COVID hospitals run by professional hospitals. We divided COVID and non-COVID hospitals. There are a number of things which we took up as¹⁴⁴⁰ an early response to a pandemic and this is what we have to learn for third or fourth wave. Let me remind the House that the third wave may not be the last wave; let me also remind the House that COVID-19 may not be the last virus. Therefore, I would like to say that the process should be to build redundancies in pandemic management, just as in natural disasters we have built thousands of cyclone shelters in Odisha after the 1999 super cyclone. They do not really serve any purpose when there is no cyclone, but whenever there is a cyclone, we are able to manage zero loss of life or zero casualty. Similarly, for ICU beds, ventilators, COVID beds, etc., we have to build that particular thing. Next comes genome sequencing. Genome sequencing is something which will detect the variants very quickly. We have to ramp up our facility. Let me not quote the figures. We, as a country, ¹⁶⁰⁰ had not been prepared for it. We have to have genome sequencing in every State and maybe in more numbers in a particular State.