If our villages escape we have won.

India is caught by the coronavirus pandemic but, "Thankfully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acted decisively and confidently. India is now on a 21 day lockdown," wrote Prof Arvind Panagariya. Though, "the lockdown asymmetrically disadvantages those living hand to mouth", the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a Rs 1.7 trillion package targeted at the poor. The assistance includes 10 kg of food grain and 1 kg of lentils per person per month, one cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per household and cash handouts to farmers and laborers. As the lockdown was announced millions of migrant workers rushed to get back to their villages fearing starvation, as daily wage laborers are unable to earn their living. The total number of internal migrants in the country (accounting for inter- and intra-state movement) is a massive 13.9 crore (139 million). Images have reached all over the world and have created fears of an explosion of infections with so many people packed together. The incubation period of the virus is said to be up to 14 days, which means that cases could start to emerge by 12-14 April. The 21-day lockdown started on 25 March and so should end on 14 April, exactly at the time cases are beginning to emerge in villages right across India, but "Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba denied reports that the lockdown would be extended beyond 21 days. He said such reports are baseless". Besides, viruses don't just disappear. They may become endemic, which means that it could go on infecting small groups of people over a long period of time. The H1N1 swine flu came to India during the 2009 pandemic, but it caused another severe outbreak in 2015 and has affected 6 Supreme Court judges this year. Influenza vaccine is available but has to be taken every year and most people don't bother. Authorities in India, central, state and municipal, are known to throw their weight around by inventing their own rules and forcing citizens to obey using draconian means. "While the central government has come up with advisories on exemptions from curbs being implemented during the nationwide shutdown until mid-April, consumer companies and retailers are facing hurdles, with local authorities in some states frequently changing rules, company executives said." In Surat, in Gujarat, police fired tear gas at migrants when they started throwing stones as the police tried to stop them from moving out of the state. People found it funny when a video went round showing police sterilizing lathis (canes) before beating people. Poor vegetable vendors were not so amused at being at the receiving end. An article in the Daily Mail alleges ill treatment of British citizens by authorities in India. If only news could be locked down as well.