Helping the caste-oppressed hit hardest by COVID in India

[d00od00o]

Helping the caste-oppressed hit hardest by COVID in India
By Cheryl Wills and Debora Fougere New York City PUBLISHED 10:35 AM ET May. 16, 2021 PUBLISHED May 16, 2021 @10:35 AM
The out-of-control COVID outbreak in India has devastated all parts of the population, but it has hit so-called “caste-oppressed” Indians the hardest.

Indians who used to be called “Untouchables," now called the Dalit community, are often turned away from hospitals even if they have room because they’re thought to be “polluting," according to Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

She is the Executive Director of Equality Labs, a Brooklyn-based organization formed to fight for the rights of Dalit people everywhere. She joined In Focus to talk about the particular plight of the caste-oppressed, who were the first to lose jobs because of the pandemic.

They can’t afford health care, even if the hospitals would care for them. They can’t afford vaccines and may be denied access to them. Of course, this is not unfamiliar. We’ve heard that poor communities and communities of color in the U.S. were hit hardest by the pandemic and often had the least access to health care.

But Soundararajan pointed out that, in the middle of a pandemic that is projected to kill a million people in India by September, adding an almost complete exclusionary policy toward some of its own people dooms them to the most dire of outcomes.

She talked about what Equality Labs is doing to try to help the caste-oppressed, joining with people on the ground in India to try to get them more than medical care, but the food and housing they desperately need.

 

[swnjo]

Absoluetly false. Nobody is turned away because of caste or whatever. I agree, that subtle caste discrimination exist in Indian society but to say people were not given care because of it is total lie.Nobody asks your caste when you go to a health care setup. Majority of Indian cannot afford private medical care , not only dalits, we all are dependent on govt. health care. And prvate sector don`t care if you are dalit or whatever, if you`ve got money they will take it. Vaccination is free for all, nobody paid a paisa for it till now.

About the interviewee Thenmozhi Soundararajan, she is a US based activist, hardly in touch with ground realities in India. She is drumming up another non exsisting cause to squeeze some more aid money in US. Disgusting creature. So much for their "pro-dalit-islamophobia-trans-binary-feminist organisation", they have done zero ground work to ever help a single individual either financially or by any means. All they do is raise money to organize protest and make instagram posts/posters.

 

[d00od00o]

Absoluetly false. Nobody is turned away because of caste or whatever.

About the interviewee Thenmozhi Soundararajan, she is a US based activist, hardly in touch with ground realities in India.

And you are in touch with the ground reality? Is Modi in touch with the ground reality? Did you visit all the thousands of villages and clinics and collect all the information and data before you reached your conclusion that "nobody is turned away because of caste or whatever"?

 

[Vapnope]

Absoluetly false. Nobody is turned away because of caste or whatever. I agree, that subtle caste discrimination exist in Indian society but to say people were not given care because of it is total lie.Nobody asks your caste when you go to a health care setup. Majority of Indian cannot afford private medical care , not only dalits, we all are dependent on govt. health care. And prvate sector don`t care if you are dalit or whatever, if you`ve got money they will take it. Vaccination is free for all, nobody paid a paisa for it till now.

About the interviewee Thenmozhi Soundararajan, she is a US based activist, hardly in touch with ground realities in India. She is drumming up another non exsisting cause to squeeze some more aid money in US. Disgusting creature. So much for their "pro-dalit-islamophobia-trans-binary-feminist organisation", they have done zero ground work to ever help a single individual either financially or by any means. All they do is raise money to organize protest and make instagram posts/posters.

If that is the case, you can charge her with sedition and ban her organization, no?

 

[swnjo]

And you are in touch with the ground reality? Is Modi in touch with the ground reality? Did you visit all the thousands of villages and clinics and collect all the information and data before you reached your conclusion that "nobody is turned away because of caste or whatever"?

I work in a hospital, when people arrive in hospitals we dont ask for caste, no sane person ever ask that & data collection is called census, which is needed to directly help the most marginalised and vulnerable citizens of the country.Even your country have one i guess,NADRA or something. How do you help your citizens without collecting data? About the link you highlighted, Davos was held in Jan, when the cases were most low and everyone thought corona will be over. Even the vaccine was to be introduced soon. That has nothing to do with what the so called activist is talking about , is she ?

If that is the case, you can charge her with sedition and ban her organization, no?

She is US citizen and her organistaion is US based organisation and she didnot speak anything that falls under sedition catgeory, lie she did though.

 

[swnjo]

Morever if the patient belongs to dalit or poor family expenses in any incurred are covered under ayushman bharat yojana. Patient just need to have his name in the census. Why nobody talks about it , rather than spewing bs about cast system and what not ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayushman_Bharat_Yojana https://pmjay.gov.in/

 

[d00od00o]

I work in a hospital, when people arrive in hospitals we dont ask for caste, no sane person ever ask that & data collection is called census, which is needed to directly help the most marginalised and vulnerable citizens of the country.Even your country have one i guess,NADRA or something. How do you help your citizens without collecting data? About the link you highlighted, Davos was held in Jan, when the cases were most low and everyone thought corona will be over. Even the vaccine was to be introduced soon. That has nothing to do with what the so called activist is talking about , is she ?

She is US citizen and her organistaion is US based organisation and she didnot speak anything that falls under sedition catgeory, lie she did though.

Have you worked in every hospital and every clinic in India during the second covid wave? Have you?

 

[swnjo]

Have you worked in every hospital and every clinic in India during the second covid wave? Have you?

Dude give it a rest, even she is not sure what she is talking about. Every statements is presumption. "May not be able to take vaccine". May not afford hospital cost starting from denied treatment in the first place etc. bet she didnt't spend a cent for any SC/ST person in India. All that money went to pay themselves and maintaining a facade of website , their instagram page with occasional show of protest.

 

[Maira La]

Low caste are being thrown into the river in high numbers. This is alarming. The excuse is they can't afford funeral, however they have been able to afford cremation for centuries - it's not like they need to buy a plot of land for burying. This throwing into river in large numbers had started since some cremation grounds had started providing correct death count to media. Indian low castes deserve justice and urgent intervention by global community.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

This throwing into river in large numbers had started since some cremation grounds had started providing correct death count to media. Indian low castes deserve justice and urgent intervention by global community.

Interesting point. Did not think of that.

@swnjo Okay even if we give benefit of doubt about this 'interest group' as I know lot of them are driven by money and just a peddle a agenda. However how do you explain the bodies found in River Ganges. Please don't try brush that under the carpet. I have read multiple sources which point to a phenomenon of dumped bodies coinciding with the corona surge. Note I usd the word phenomenon because I am aware even at the best of times in India you do find floating bodies in Ganga. But this is on another level. I am also aware police and district governments are now actively trying to prevent this.

What is reason? To dispose of a body by cremation needs no land. Are we expected to believe India has so many poor who can't even afford pile of wood? Or is this attempt to cover up the scale of deaths?

 

[swnjo]

Interesting point. Did not think of that.

@swnjo Okay even if we give benefit of doubt about this 'interest group' as I know lot of them are driven by money and just a peddle a agenda. However how do you explain the bodies found in River Ganges. Please don't try brush that under the carpet. I have read multiple sources which point to a phenomenon of dumped bodies coinciding with the corona surge. Note I usd the word phenomenon because I am aware even at the best of times in India you do find floating bodies in Ganga. But this is on another level. I am also aware police and district governments are now actively trying to prevent this.

What is reason? To dispose of a body by cremation needs no land. Are we expected to believe India has so many poor who can't even afford pile of wood? Or is this attempt to cover up the scale of deaths?

edit:I read the post above your and poster is somewhat right. I work in far east of the country and what i have gathered after a speaking to a friend from north India, that poor are indeed being dumped in the river. Majority of this cremation are being conducted with the help of NGO who are over whelmed by the numbers of the dead (families are not allow to cremate covid+ve body). People have to stand in queue to get the cremation done. What she told me that a ambulance mafia -nexus sort have mushroomed demanding money to carry the body to crematorium for the last rite. Its nothing to do with caste, mostly criminals taking advantage of this unfortunate situation combined with poor law and order administration in UP and Bihar.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

edit:I read the post above your and poster is somewhat right. I work in far east of the country and what i have gathered after a speaking to a friend from north India, that poor are indeed being dumped in the river. Majority of this cremation are being conducted with the help of NGO who are over whelmed by the numbers of the dead (families are not allow to cremate covid+ve body). People have to stand in queue to get the cremation done. What she told me that a ambulance mafia -nexus sort have mushroomed demanding money to carry the body to crematorium for the last rite. Its nothing to do with caste, mostly criminals taking advantage of this unfortunate situation combined with poor law and order administration in UP and Bihar.

Yes, I can believe this. Amazing how even amidst a disaster some people decide to profit from it. I guess it really is a tragedy. Every floating body is a life.

 

[Amaa'n]

Helping the caste-oppressed hit hardest by COVID in India
By Cheryl Wills and Debora Fougere New York City PUBLISHED 10:35 AM ET May. 16, 2021 PUBLISHED May 16, 2021 @10:35 AM
The out-of-control COVID outbreak in India has devastated all parts of the population, but it has hit so-called “caste-oppressed” Indians the hardest.

Indians who used to be called “Untouchables," now called the Dalit community, are often turned away from hospitals even if they have room because they’re thought to be “polluting," according to Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

She is the Executive Director of Equality Labs, a Brooklyn-based organization formed to fight for the rights of Dalit people everywhere. She joined In Focus to talk about the particular plight of the caste-oppressed, who were the first to lose jobs because of the pandemic.

They can’t afford health care, even if the hospitals would care for them. They can’t afford vaccines and may be denied access to them. Of course, this is not unfamiliar. We’ve heard that poor communities and communities of color in the U.S. were hit hardest by the pandemic and often had the least access to health care.

But Soundararajan pointed out that, in the middle of a pandemic that is projected to kill a million people in India by September, adding an almost complete exclusionary policy toward some of its own people dooms them to the most dire of outcomes.

She talked about what Equality Labs is doing to try to help the caste-oppressed, joining with people on the ground in India to try to get them more than medical care, but the food and housing they desperately need.

Dubious source - provide an alternative source by using Report button - till then thread remains locked ...any attempt to open threads of such nature where the intent is to run targetted campaign will result in ban