Extinction of middle class

 

Chandan Sharma

Whether second wave of corona is ready to wipe out middle class or shrink its population substantially? This question is being raised in several circles and groups including social and academic circle. This is not the first time that the question is being raised. Even, several projections and models and social scientists have suggested this that the danger of extinction of middle class in the developing nation like India is very high amid the intermittent attack of coronavirus pandemic.

Data too suggested that the size of Indian middle class has been reduced during the span of first outbreak of Corona and the surge of second wave. Some research data suggests that the size of Indian middle class has reduced by at least 10 to 12 percent. This may seem a small number in the first instance, but if we convert it into actual figure, it is a huge number and much larger than total population of a small nation.

According to reports, there are over 40 crore or 400 million population belongs to the middle class. The recent spates of coronavirus has pushed over 4.5 crore or 45 millon people to lower class or BPL category (below poverty line) due to their loss of livelihood and lack of new jobs and employment or earning. The data from the various economic sectors and forums too substantiate it.

For example, according to a report, over rupees 1.24 lakh crore (Rs. 1.24 trillion) have been either withdrawn or under the process of withdrawal from the EPF office. Over 3.4 crore employees have withdrew their hard earned social security money in the absence or lack of employment opportunity or livelihood in the era of pandemic. Incompetent governance and utter mismanagement of pandemic containment process and tardy vaccination process have not only killed several lakh people (officially 3.70 lakh of 0.31 million) either due to pandemic or under the extremely harsh situation created during the pandemic.

This may seem a simple data but it put a huge burden on government too as the size of BPL swelled with the data and the responsibility of the government to provide them food and other facilities too has increased with this socio-economic and health disaster.

As the government is already facing a deficit situation and literally on war mode against the pandemic the new development may increase complexity and socio-economic crisis in the coming days despite Prime Minister’s assurance on to win war against second wave of Covid during his national address on Sunday, even if we keep aside all the politics and political ambition of parties.

This is a peculiar situation that at one side it is being claimed that the second wave is being over now. And, on the other hand reports of third wave too are pouring in from some areas.

Although, containment strategies are working to a great extent and vaccination drive and vaccine procurement have been augmented to contain the pandemic but the crisis has so many fangs. Needless to say that middle class is the biggest victim of the pandemic crisis. BPL or low income group was already dependent on the government’s schemes for their lives and livelihood. But pushing middle class, who fights for better destiny through the hard work, into the lower class is going to be big concern for coming days.

(Author is founder of the portal)