Shame: From Migrant Deaths To Students Suicide, 8 Things That Government Says It Has No Data About

When hurled with questions by the opposition in the ongoing Monsoon Session over various issues, the BJP-led government seems to have the same answer for each and every question – We have no data.

The government of India is facing fierce criticism for failing to provide data on some key issues in the ongoing Monsoon Session in the parliament. While data is essential to lay a future course of action, but the government’s incapability to provide the same on these eight issues makes it harder to tackle them.

1. No data on students suicide

When questioned by DMK MP Kanimozhi to provide the details of students’ suicides during the lockdown, the Ministry of Education, to whom the question was posed, said that it has no information about the same.

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2.No Data on Migrants death

The plight of the migrant workers during lockdown was known to all of us. But of course, not the government. The Union Labour Ministry, on the first day of the Monsoon Session, when asked if the government will provide compensation to the migrant workers’ families who lost their lives, the associated minister said that there is no data on migrant deaths so the “question does not arise” of compensation. 

3. No Data of MSMEs that shut down during lockdown

Mostly all types of businesses took a back seat during the national lockdown including MSMEs. But again, the government doesn’t have any data in that regards too. The matter is of utmost concern as on one side, PM Modi wants to make India aatm nirbhar and on the other side is ignoring medium and small businesses that would be the foundation of the whole aatm nirbhar idea.

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4. No data on doctors who lost their lives

The government, if you have been following the news, has said that it will provide insurance schemes (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting Covid-19) and compensation to doctors if they lose their life due to COVID-19. After making such promises, it must have been fairly easy to track the number of doctors who lost their life to COVID. 

But no, the Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told Rajya Sabha that health is a state subject and such data is not maintained at central level.

5. No data on the number of plasma banks in the country

When asked about the same, the government said that convalescent plasma therapy has not been recommended by the Ministry of Health as a mainstay of COVID-19 therapy and thus it has no information about the number of plasma banks in the country.

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6. No Data on police personnel who died of COVID-19

A Samajwadi Party leader raised the question seeking data on policemen who lost their lives to COVID. But the government has no data on it.

7. No data on migrants who returned home during lockdown.

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8. No data on Safai Karamcharis’ deaths during the pandemic

The government needs to understand that ignorance is not a bliss invariably when it says that it has no data on Safai Karamcharis who had died due to health and safety hazards during the pandemic.

The government clearly needs to be more responsible.