View: Soft coercion may be needed for Covid curbs | Economic Times

Mumbai’s lifeline, the local trains, finally resumed operations from the Independence Day, but only for those who are fully vaccinated.States are gradually venturing into school reopening to avert a learning crisis that has overwhelmed India’s young population, but not without hesitation and with one hand on the reverse gear. State after state are issuing kill-joy instructions to restrict public celebrations. It can’t be any different when the second wave of Covid-19 refuses to wither away and the third wave appears to have half a foot in. Global scene is no better with the US facing a surge in infections and troops being called out in Australian cities to enforce lockdown.One part of the government’s five-fold strategy in Covid management, Covid-appropriate behaviour, has faced the toughest challenge so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern that “people visiting hill stations and markets are not wearing masks and not following protocol”. A strictly worded advisory soon followed from the union home ministry that referred to “blatant violations” of Covid protocols, and warned of action against defaulters and re-imposition of restrictions where norms are flouted. The advisory goes to the extent of holding officials personally responsible for laxity in enforcement.Stick OptionThe opinion may actually be veering towards applying the stick, while behaviour change would ordinarily be anchored on education and motivational campaigns. The municipal corporation in Mumbai has collected more than Rs 60 crore as fines on those not masking up at public places. Intention to apply some amounts of force is visible elsewhere as well.This is ironical as the government has depended a great deal on people’s participation, inspirationally worded as Jan Andolan, while implementing its priority programmes. The Swachh Bharat Mission, Ujjwala gas for women, electricity for rural households, Jan Dhan accounts for the excluded, and more recently Jal Jeevan Mission are a few sterling examples.Preserve the WorryCorona loves crowds and crowded events. It does not discriminate between congregations for faith, tourism, shopping or family rejoicement. When behavioural lapse is as endemic, the virus in all its mutated forms will surely grab the invite. It’s not surprising that Uttarakhand has been applauded for calling off the Kanwar Yatra. Organisations in UP showed restraint after counsel from the top court. But the festival season has just begun; schools are reopening, another set of assembly elections come soon after. One can only hope that there are more examples to applaud than super spreaders to deplore.Swachh Bharat NuancesThe Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) fostered a culture in which ordinary citizens including children could call out a sanitation offender at any public place and goad him to behave. Across villages and towns, unlike in earlier times, people would risk public repudiation if found relieving themselves in the open. There were incidences of stubborn open defecators who were not converted by the call for toilet usage that was holding sway, their defiance causing anxiety to local administrations. Reports of soft coercion came from parts of the country, like naming and shaming, public rebuke, fines by village panchayats, denying deviants access to tea stalls and other common utilities, while the mission remained committed to its stated strategy of spontaneous, systematic and sustainable behaviour change. For this environment to build up for Covid protocols is quite some steps away. Here, it still remains a case between the unmasked and the chasing cop.Covid-19, with its demonstrated capacity to deliver death and destruction, does not provide the luxury of gradual sensitisation. Several countries have issued extensive vaccine mandate for sections of their population and put in place barriers for accessing key public services for those not vaccinated.Nudge is still the bestThe SBM opted for the more strenuous process of ‘nudge’ and delivered. In elections, there have been the vociferous demands for compulsory voting but India has so far stuck to voter education for amplifying registration and poll turnout with good effect. A reassuring and human policy is one that promotes voluntary family planning as against forced sterilisation and when communities are persuaded by Amitabh Bachchan to do Darwaja Bandh than open defecators being chased away by lathi-wielding men.Suffusion of public service messages in increasing quantity and quality is the need of the hour, duly backed by social marketing prescriptions and evidence based interventions. US surgeon general Vivek Murthy has ascribed vaccine hesitancy to the malaise of health misinformation on social media.Considering the tiring uncertainty regarding what next of Covid-19 and the incorrigibility of faulty behaviour, ‘sakht’ may have to become an essential part of a long-term strategy besides remaining ‘sajag’ and ‘satark’, to use Prime Minister Modi’s words. We, the people of India, will be responsible when push comes to shove and stick replaces shove, unless we resolve to mask up.(The author is former Director General, Special Projects, Swachh Bharat Mission)