Covid-19: Govt's response has been panic, with political leadership absent

The unfolding coronavirus crisis could be the toughest test yet for PM Modi. His government failed to recognise the potentially devastating consequences of the pandemic early enough, its actions have

The unfolding coronavirus crisis could be the toughest test yet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His government failed to recognise the potentially devastating consequences of the pandemic early enough, its actions have been desperate and its learning curve slow.

Panic has been evident from the suddenness of the three-week national lockdown, to the overnight reversal of an export ban on Hydroxychloroquine (promoted as the magic-bullet for killing the coronavirus by US President Donald Trump) and in sending the National Security Advisor to evacuate a Delhi mosque instead of local policemen. With no apparent systems in place, anxiety and nervousness have