Subject: Indian Society

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a "great unequalizer," exacerbating existing socio-economic disparities and creating new fault lines in Indian society, as evident from the unprecedented reverse migration of over 10 million migrant workers during the lockdown.

Economic Impact on Different Classes

• Job Losses and Income Shock: The pandemic disproportionately affected the informal sector workers, with estimates suggesting 120-230 million people were pushed into poverty during 2020-2022.
• Digital Divide: While upper-middle-class adapted to work-from-home culture, informal workers faced severe livelihood challenges due to limited digital access and skills.
• Education Disparities: The shift to online education widened the gap between private and government school students, with many poor students dropping out due to lack of digital devices.

Healthcare Inequalities

• Access to Healthcare: The pandemic exposed the stark divide in healthcare access, with private hospitals better equipped than public facilities.
• Vaccine Inequity: Initial phases of vaccination showed urban-rural disparities and digital divide in registration through CoWIN platform.
• Mental Health Impact: Lower-income groups faced increased psychological stress due to job insecurity and limited access to mental healthcare.

Government Response and Challenges

• PMGKP Implementation: The ₹1.70 lakh crore relief package provided support through:
  • Free food grains for 80 crore people
  • ₹500 monthly payments to 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders
  • Enhanced MNREGA wages
• Nutritional Impact: Studies indicate increased child malnutrition rates during 2020-2021, particularly affecting the poorest households.

Social Impact

• Gender Disparities: Women faced increased domestic work burden and higher job losses.
• Rural-Urban Divide: Rural areas experienced greater challenges in accessing healthcare and essential services.
• Caste Dimensions: Traditional occupational hierarchies reinforced existing inequalities during the pandemic.

The pandemic has been a stark reminder of India's deep-rooted inequalities, necessitating targeted interventions like PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives to build a more resilient and equitable society.