China is a one-party state with power lying mainly in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. Moreover, it is one of the five permanent members of the UN’s Security Council and thus possesses tremendous power and reach.

History of China’s Economy

The trade reforms introduced in 1978 have changed the economic position of the country on a gigantic level. 

After the reforms were introduced, the country began to open and its economy has seen tremendous growth. GDP growth averaged over 10% per year, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing-economies.

Recently, however, due to several imbalances, comparatively low growth rate of institutional development and fast pacing economic development, there have been several reform gaps that have kept the GDP growth rate at 6% per year and it has been decreasing continuously. The country has made Innovation its top priority while working on the strategy for the 2020-25 growth model catering to the current scenario.

China’s Strategic Advantage

China is an upper-middle-income country and a major supplier of raw materials to the rest of the world. It observes major investment from MNCs globally. Most of the products that we use in our daily life are labeled as either made in China or assembled in China.

Apple iPhone, which is considered a revolutionary product, gets its product assembling done in China. Low labour costs were considered the main reason initially but there has been a shift in recent years. Since countries like India, Vietnam, etc. can provide even cheaper labour, hence the question arises, what makes China different?

The answer is the quality of labour and the type of skill provided. As said by Tim Cook “You find in China the intersection of craftsman kind of skill, and sophisticated robotics and the computer science world. That intersection, which is very rare to find anywhere, is very important to our business.”

Thus, comparatively low labour costs, highly skilled labour, the ability to produce big consignment daily due to the strong labour force and a large home market make China an ideal country for product assembly. 

Trade Relations with India

Economic relations between India and China date back to ancient times with the Silk Route being the major trade route then. China is a major exporter of raw materials like pharmaceutical ingredients, steel, electronic devices, fertilizers for India, thus making India as China’s biggest trading partner after the US. India too runs a huge trade deficit with China.

The major inability of Indian companies to produce products at low rates arises because of a lack of research and development facilities, poor infrastructure and incompetent labour policies.

In a survey of about 90 people, it was asked: “What is the main reason that encourages you to buy foreign goods?”

The following were the observations:

Due to this Chinese goods gain an edge and find a huge market in India. Moreover, the Indian population forms a large base for many Chinese apps. These do not mainly contribute to revenue but they help in boosting the reach of the product which is even more beneficial for the companies.

However, with the recent clashes and increasing deficits, the Indian government has banned several Chinese applications and has been constantly focusing on promoting the ‘Made in India’ campaign.

Impact of the Current Situation

With the advent of the current pandemic, almost all economies have come to a standstill. While some of the countries have been able to deal with the situation efficiently and have already observed the peaks, others like the US and India are the worst struck and their economies have faced a major shock. 

China has been accused of hiding information about the virus which eventually led to the pandemic. Markets crashed and the price of crude barrels fell to such an extent that they became negative for the first time in history. Many people have been laid off from their jobs, causing them to fall into debt traps.

However, the current border tensions with China have induced an even greater hatred among Indian citizens towards Chinese goods and services. Many Chinese contracts and tenders have been reworked and the suppliers have been changed. These have vastly affected China’s economy.

Nevertheless, the economic interdependence of the two nations is way too important to be ignored. An all-out boycotting of Chinese goods would force people to buy expensive goods in this period of recession. This would just worsen the situation and the governments would have to further moderate the policies to accommodate the situation.

Conclusion

 It can be rightly said that the expansionist and influential regime of the Chinese government is at an all-time high. China might be taking this course of action to drive the attention of the world away from COVID allegations by having disputes with other nations. However, with this course of action, it is losing a huge consumer base in India. Though low priced quality goods might still prevail in the markets as Indians don’t have good homemade alternatives.

India and China have been embroiled in border disputes since 1962 after the Indo-China talks failed. China has always been intruding in the territorial sovereignty of India, this has been very common but the international community never held China liable because of its veto in UN and structural hegemony in international markets but the advent of COVID-19 has led to an international bias against China. The factual matrix has created a situation in which China might be held liable for the very first time for violating the ceasefire agreement on LAC as it has lost support in the international arena and the CCP is facing extreme criticisms for its violations and misuse of authority.

The first step towards the long turn process of improving the efficiency of production in India should be taken immediately. Trade shouldn’t be stopped but the trade deficit needs to be brought to a balance to prevent other nations from exerting dominance in the future.

China needs to take into account the possible isolation by other countries in the long run which might bring down the already decreasing GDP growth and the scenario before 1978 might come into the picture again. China should acknowledge the need of the hour and help its subordinate countries with the current pandemic, help in building their economies to ensure healthy trade relations, the welfare of mankind and stability. History is evident, Wars cease to create any good, rather are a great way to destroy the global economy, loss of life and property and leave the world in a state of regret and despair. 

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Confinement in homes, and lack of steady incomes, seems to have been fostering tensions and frustration in households and strain due to concerns over health and security. The lockdown is also putting women in isolation with violent partners, with nowhere to turn to for help. In India, the National Commission for Women has reported a 200 per cent increase in the reporting and stress call numbers of domestic violence on their helpline in the month of June alone.

Even before the lockdown was imposed, domestic violence was one of the most prevalent violations of human rights and a key impediment to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with one in three women have experienced it at some point in their lives. Economist Amartya Sen has estimated in 1990 that more than 100 million women are ‘missing’ — that includes those that never lived because of sex-selective abortions and infanticide, child neglect and maltreatment. That number was revised in 2015 to 136 million – this just shows how females have been subject to violence, at times even before they are born, at an alarmingly high rate.

Furthermore, it is essential to address that violence against women not only affects individuals, but also households, families and communities. However, the only way to change this stark reality is to hold the aggressors accountable and ensure that the problematic social norms that perpetuate the instances of violence are also tackled in an inclusive manner. The SDGs act as an apt framework to work off of, in order to shape a violence-free world – here’s how:

SDG 1: No Poverty

Women’s work – in agriculture, in communities, and at home, fuels economies and yet, isn’t regarded as ‘economic activity’. The exposure of females to incessant discrimination and mistreatment at the workplace makes them vulnerable and susceptible to gender-based violence. Women and girls are four per cent more likely to live in poverty and poor living conditions, a risk that rises up to twenty-five per cent as we factor-in other inequalities. Financial independence for women creates new opportunities and avenues for them to reject typical gender norms and leverage independence against violent partners. It also helps them to create a mentality of freedom and a sense of self for themselves. As a result, the reduction in poverty proves to be a catalyst towards enabling women in societies.

SDG 4: Quality Education

An estimated 246 million girls and boys experience school-related violence every year and one in four girls say that they never feel comfortable using school washrooms, according to a survey on youth conducted across four regions by the United Nations. Quality education is essential to ending violence against women. Educated girls are more likely to make their decisions towards family planning and managing finances, it is fundamental for the development of aspirations and skills, and children of educated women are more likely to have been safeguarded against malnutrition and illiteracy. Educational exposure also enables women to get access to leadership and decision-making opportunities. Hence, it propels them into a cycle of development that helps them create barriers to economic violence at home or in their communities.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

According to a 2018 report by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in India, 18 per cent of women and girls aged between 15 and 49 years of age have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or family member in the past twelve months. Further, someone is known to them – every day kills more than 137 women around the world. These figures represent a fraction of the discrimination against women in terms of opportunities, wealth, inheritance, safe access to public spaces, lack of decent work, and safe and healthy environments of living, learning, working, and engaging with their communities. These inequalities leave them extremely vulnerable to gender-based violence.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Unsafe and poor working environments affect women regardless of their age, location, income, careers, or social standing. As of 2020, 18 countries have laws that enable husbands in preventing their wives from going to work. UN Women estimates that the economic costs of violence and harassment amount to US$12 trillion every year. As of 2018, 59 countries do not have laws protecting women from sexual harassment in the workplace. Economic growth cannot be achieved without the inclusion of women and their contribution to sustainable development in an empowering work environment.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

In developing countries, concerns of safety and restricted access to public transport reduce the probability of women participating in the labour market by 16.5 per cent. As the processes of urbanization and industrialization catch up to tier two and tier three cities, the UN estimates that more than 5 billion people will reside in cities by 2030. This becomes an essential notion to address in the light of crimes against women that are prevalent in most urban regions. Further, there is widespread human rights abuse in many industries, such as fast fashion, many of which employ women in majorities. Women may be subject to exploitation in such circumstances and need to be safeguarded against such instances.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

In 37 countries, rape perpetrators are exempt from legal prosecution if they are married to, or subsequently marry the victim. Improving access to justice for survivors, and strengthening the legal framework against violators is an essential step towards making justice accessible for women – be it against violence, sexual misconduct at the workplace, or any crime against them. It is further imperative for women to mobilize and advocate support for their personal rights and those of their communities. This can be done digitally, individually, or at any level.  

Conclusion

At this point in time, COVID-19 is already testing humanity in unprecedented capacities. The shadow pandemic that we have had to face additionally is a mirror to the kind of societies we have built for ourselves so far. As we emerge from the pandemic, we must renew the outlooks towards inequalities and factor them into our responses to create a more equitable and sustainably sound world.

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The first case of novel-coronavirus was reported in the state of Kerala on January 30, 2020 and as of June 31, 2020 the total number of positive cases stands at 5,86,056 including 2,20,728 active cases, 3,47,851 discharged/recovered and 17,411 deaths have been confirmed across India (Source). To effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19, well-organized testing programs, and extensive efforts to isolate infected people, contact tracing and quarantining people they have come in contact with is the need of the hour. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on June 31 informed that till then 88,26,585 samples have been tested of which 2,17,931 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

Right from the outbreak of the COVID-19 several preventive strategies are adopted by the central government in consultation with states. After the lockdown is lifted there lies a huge burden on the states to work on containment of the virus. Recently through social media, COVID-19 comparison ratios are becoming widely popular where certain states and their administration are being widely criticized for their testing rates and inefficiency.

Flatten the Curve – State’s Difficulties.

It is relatively easy to design for the perfect cases, when everything goes right, or when all the information required is available in a proper format

 Donald Norman

Adequate testing and proper information are the only means through which public health intervention by the state can be done both diagnostically and therapeutically to flatten the curve. But the figures released cannot be perceived in isolation, they should be tallied with the population (test per million) of the state or test positivity rate in the state which captures the size of epidemic and scale of testing in number. 

Delhi has one of the highest testing rates per million but in terms of test positivity rate, it is relatively performing low. Also, the test positivity rates show wide variations in Delhi at 23 per cent positivity rate and Telangana at 18 per cent whereas West Bengal is at 3.5 per cent. Test positivity rates show the prevalence of infection and approach adopted where the epidemic is growing and tests are lagging. 

This presents a huge problem with respect to expanding the amount of testing base in the country because even though the testing rates are increasing in the country as a whole, positivity rates are constant at 7.4 to 8.1 per cent. So this presents a picture that there is no proper circulation of data which can show the exact incidence of the disease through which we can estimate whether we are testing enough. Overburdening of Government hospitals and reduced testing needs to be encountered as part of expanding the testing base in the country.

Testing Deregulation as a Way: Private players

With the rise in the risks of community spread of the virus, the Telangana government is often being criticized for its approach of not engaging private labs in testing even after demands pertaining to that was made by ICMR and Telangana High Court. 

Engaging private players in the fight can always be treated as a viable option because of efficiency. Also, these players are controlled by an incentive-based environment where performance is always rated. Germany’s success in testing for the virus proves the mechanism engaging the present approach. Germany has been testing more than one hundred thousand people per week since late February. By April 20, it had tested more than twenty-five persons per thousand. Compare this to India, where the testing rate is less than one person per thousand. One reason for Germany’s success is a relatively freer market for medical testing compared to India. Private companies in Germany were able to mass-produce the test kits early on, as they were less burdened by a central regulatory body like the Indian Council of Medical Research. 

In the name of quality maintenance, there is a heavy licensing mechanism for private labs inserted by Indian Council of Medical Research but it has forgone the key idea that then government organizations private players predict the probabilities of demand in the community concerning testing as they need to make living out of it. It is just the way they predict stock prices.

Conclusion

The primary question that arises most often in the community is “How many tests are enough tests?” and “When will we reach normalcy?”. The only answer for that would be that all states should ideally keep a watch at the indicators such as positivity rate and condition of spread in an epidemic that needs immediate attention. Thus till vaccine comes into the picture we can flatten the curve only by considering the epidemiological indicators and rampant testing through the inclusion of private players.

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In India, as reported by the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, nearly 15% of Indian adults require interceding for mental health issues and at least one in twenty Indians suffer from depression. According to the recent WHO report India is the 6^th most depressed country with 258,000 reported suicides in the year 2012. The report also mentions that around 80% of Indians don’t seek treatment after getting diagnosed with depression, mostly because of the stigmatization of mental health in Indian society.

Reasons for Depression:

• Hormonal changes in the brain of a human being.
• A person who always thinks negatively or perceives the conditions with a pessimist approach more likely faces stress loneliness and anxiety.
• Some people who constantly experience violence, hatred, abuse, poverty, and relationship disputes easily tend to fall in depression.
• Sometimes genetics plays a major role in making a person vulnerable to depression as it runs from the parents to their children and affects them without external causes.

Symptoms of Depression:

• Fluctuating body weight
• Energy loss or fatigue
• Feeling irritated or agitated
• Finding oneself guilty and worthless
• The feeling of being left out
• Reduced concentration power
• Lowering interest and pleasure in activities and works.
• Suicidal thoughts or constant thoughts about self-harm

Present Scenario

Normally, people in the midst of lockdown have confined themselves in their houses which might be necessary for the amelioration of the nation but when it comes to the mental health of an individual, without any medical treatments or personal measures being taken many people are going through major repercussions like depression, anxiety, frustration, fear, etc. and these sort of feelings within a person has resulted in the upsurge of activities like domestic violence and suicide attempts. Usually, people tend to find solutions for such problems through an intense consumption of alcohol and drugs but improper awareness, the looming threat of a pandemic, fear of joblessness, and lack of medical facilities available in hospitals have caused amplification of this issue.

Confirming to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India requires around 13,000 psychiatrists. An ideal ratio to be attained is 1 psychiatrist for 8000 patients but at present, we have 3500 psychiatrists which are about 1 for 2 lakh or 200,000 people. Regarding clinical psychologists, we need 20,000 but we have only 1000 working clinical psychologists. Though we are doing much well in the manufacturing, supply, and export of PPE kits yet it’s a need of the hour to fill this gap between the patients and the doctors required for mental health treatments by the government.

Social media has become an alternative way of living a life for us where due to loneliness people have presumed social networking sites as a second world. We have already witnessed cases of suicides due to a lesser number of likes and public views on social media handles of a person. Current so-called modern communication tools have resulted in remoteness from personal/physical engagements and gatherings.

Due to lockdown, we have started utilizing video calling tools that are leading towards a virtual life rather than a real one. Though it must be helping us in the continuation of our regular schedules it has now led to such disorders and has started affecting humans both mentally as well as physically. A human is called a social being but soon this sentence will reverberate as a fantasy and unfortunately, in the end, these social beings will find themselves as introverts.

Medical Treatments and Therapies for Depression

Though it is one of the most lethal disorders, it can be treated which must be done as soon as the illness gets diagnosed. The general method for getting it treated is with medications and psychotherapy or with the combination of both. When these solutions don’t work electroconvulsive therapy and brain stimulation therapies are the options that are mostly explored.

Considering the medications, anti-depressants are the most recommended medicines to treat depression which may improve the brain’s way of using certain chemicals that manages the mood and stress of an individual. They may usually take 2 to 4 weeks to deliver some positive results. Such kinds of prescriptions should never be taken without the counsel of a trusted doctor because an over-dosage or mistakes in the courses of intake of an antidepressant can cause serious side effects.

Psychotherapy is another option which is also termed as ‘talk therapy’ or ‘counselling’. It can help to reduce the symptoms of depression. Methods such as interpersonal therapy (IPT), cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and problem-solving therapy are the approaches for the treatment of depression.

If the above mentioned medical treatments don’t give expected results then electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) plays a major role in the treatment of depression. The treatment includes continuous sessions which may be thrice a week for almost two to four weeks but may cause few side effects like confusion or memory loss. However, now due to the advancement in the method of ECT, it has become safer and more effective for the patients. The procedure though is not painful and a patient is put under anaesthesia. There are many more methods to treat this mental disorder which are being studied by the researchers and the doctors and soon may be utilized for the better and more accurate treatment of the illness.

Yoga to Overcome Depression

Yoga alone should never be considered as a treatment for depression but should complement with proper medication and other options after proper consultation with the doctors. Regular yoga will definitely help a person to overcome stress and will give strength to think optimistically and makes a person optimistic. Yoga includes asanas, pranayamas, and also yoga philosophies.

Yoga Asanas:

• Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
• Janu Shirsasana (One-Legged Forward Bend)
• Setu Bhadasana (Bridge Pose)
• Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
• Pashchimottanasana (Two Legged Forward Bend)
• Hastapadasana (Standing Forward Bend)
• Marjariasana (Cat Scratch)
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
• Sirsasana (Headstand)
• Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

These asanas help in releasing the tension and negativity from the systems of the body.

Pranayamas to relieve anxiety:

• Kapal Bhati Pranayama
• Nadi Shodha Pranayama
• Bhastrika Pranayama
• Bhramari Pranayama

These pranayamas are done by focusing or putting attention on the breath to relax and free the mind and erase thoughts that procreates anxiety or depression.

Meditation is the method that should be followed daily because when a person gets too anxious regarding a threat or for varied reasons the muscles of a body get tense and the body starts sweating and scientific research has proven that meditation can significantly reduce the level of stress hormones.

The ancient yoga philosophies mention about two important principles of yoga, ‘yamas’ and ‘niyamas’. According to this principle, niyama teaches about the value of containment whereas the Aprigraha principle guides us in overcoming greediness which has always remained a reason for anxiety. Another principle called the Shahucha principle glorifies the cleanliness of the body and mind. These principles also mention healthy eating habits and a proper lifestyle for a perfect livelihood.

Lastly, praying to the god and keeping positive group of company around ourselves can keep our faces smiling and can breed peace and joy in our lives.

Conclusion

The recent committing of suicide by a well-known actor Sushant Singh Rajput has left us astonished and where depression is said to be the reason for the unfortunate step he took. These problems can simply get solved by sharing our feelings with the near and the dear ones and consulting trained professionals in due time. Unfortunately, the lockdown has kept few people away from their close relatives and friends even then suicide should never be a choice because “suicide does not end the probabilities of life getting worse but it eliminates the possibilities of it ever getting any better.”

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