The Political Economy of Pandemic Management in India

Abstract

India responded to the COVID-19 abruptly, without considering the socio-economic life of the majority of people in India, the sheer diversity of the country, and the large number of people in the informal sector. A nationwide lockdown using the Disaster Management Act 2005 enabled the Union government to sway over the entire country, although health is a state subject in the federal system. India used the opportunity to highlight its credentials as the “pharmacy of the world” by sending medical supplies to over a hundred countries. This chapter will deal with conflicts, contestations, and the foreign policy fallout and gains following the onset of the pandemic and the measures adopted by the Union government to cope with them, with less focus on the economic and epidemiological aspects of pandemic management. The chapter looks at previous studies, press reports, and press releases by government agencies to collect the needed data. A descriptive and analytical approach is followed in the chapter.