Elections, Education, Health & Infrastructure issues dominated a world traumatised by the pandemic

@prashanthamine

Mumbai: Issues like elections, education, public health care and infrastructure dominated the world order already traumatised by the Covid-19 pandemic. Elections – be it the November US Presidential elections, or the Bihar Assembly elections or the civic elections in some states across the country were a welcome distraction. It was a year also in which those in power literally toyed with infrastructure projects ignoring bipartisan approach for narrow electoral gains at the cost of the very same electorate for whom the projects are intended to serve.

The pandemic first posed a challenge to legislatures across the world as to how to go about performing their core duties of legislating on laws and crucial ordinances that were needed to keep the economic order going. Some took to virtual online parliaments, some devised new ways in restricting normal legislative practices while adhering to Covid-19 protocols. Even in such times the Farm laws passed by the parliament have evoked a belated reaction in India.

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Controversy surrounding the November 2020 US Presidential elections still refuses to die down till the formal inauguration of President elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. Incumbent US President Donald Trump is in no mood to concede victory to Biden as the Republicans pulling all stops to challenge the election results and overturn them. The all-too familiar allegations of alleged foreign interference from China and Russia have surfaced. Compared to India, US the world’s oldest and powerful democracy cannot have a clean and fair election since 2000.

Back home, the Bihar assembly elections had the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gasping for breath as they successfully in the end dogged the anti-incumbency factor. It was a well-crafted election strategy in which the “estranged” NDA allies, Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJSP) and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) playing both the role of the party spoiler as well as lending a helping hand in ensuring that the JD-U saving some grace and face in the end.

What has raised the eyebrows of many is the performance of the BJP in the civic body elections in Hyderabad, Kerala, Tiwa (Assam) and now in the District Development Council (DDC) elections in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Coming a year after the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, the DDC election results have gone along the expected fault lines with the BJP doing well in the Jammu region and the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) doing well in the Srinagar valley.

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Much to the dread of Tech experts, the Election Commission of India (ECI) in August hosted a Webinar on the use of Blockchain technology for its Remote Voting plan for migrant voters. Earlier in March, the ECI had mooted the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).

The ECI needs to allow Postal Ballot to private sector employees who cannot otherwise vote in Lok Sabha, Assembly or a civic body election. But looking at the controversy surrounding the Postal Ballots in the US Presidential elections, much foolproof technological advancements and electoral reforms are needed so that ECI’s catch line “Greater Participation for a Stronger Democracy” has some real meaning.

Another collateral damage that the Covid-19 pandemic caused was in the field of Education, Public Healthcare and Infrastructure. The pandemic ripped open the woefully inadequate Education and Healthcare infrastructure. The last mile Internet connectivity has severely restricted and exposed our inadequacies in online education. The pandemic has also exposed our woefully poor and inadequate public health care system.

By winning the Global Teacher Prize 2020, Ranjitsinh Disale a Zilla Parishad primary school teacher at Paritewadi in Solapur has used innovative teaching skills to transform the lives of young girls. It has once again highlighted the status of school education in rural India.

At a time when we have so many serious and critical issues to address in terms of infrastructure projects, a dangerous trend is being set in which infrastructure projects are increasingly becoming political pawns in the power chess board. We are yet to realize the importance of bipartisan approach when it comes to infrastructure projects.