In my column last month in Mint (Triple Trouble: Coronavirus, Hunger And The Economy, 17April), I had said that India is grappling with three crises at the same time: a public health crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic, a humanitarian crisis unleashed by the sudden imposition of a nationwide lockdown that revealed little preparation but was more stringent than anywhere in the world, and an economic crisis triggered by the shutting down of large segments of the economy.
So far, India is clearly winning the public health battle. We have been lucky that the pandemic struck us late. We could learn from the experience of countries that were struck earlier.