In India, Civil Society Groups Fill the Void as the Government Fails to Confront COVID-19 – By Simran Jeet Singh

Ravi Singh is no stranger to relief efforts. His organization, Khalsa Aid, led humanitarian support…. What he did not expect was that his NGO’s skills would be needed across India in the wake of COVID-19….

The black market for oxygen concentrators in India is booming while people are suffocating. As prices surge 1000%, COVID-19 deaths have gone up exponentially faster. Singh, who is British Indian and Sikh and whose U.K.-based NGO is inspired by Sikh values, said he didn’t hesitate to purchase whatever oxygen he could find….

India’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse…. it’s leadership has been utterly ineffective in responding to the unfolding crisis. But in the face of government failure and infrastructural collapse, civil society groups are stepping forward to meet the needs of the moment. What’s striking is that many of these groups are run by volunteers belonging to minority communities that the government has been antagonistic towards in the past….

https://time.com/6047859/india-covid-19-civil-society-groups/