Did you know that there are at least 26 countries in the world with a total population of less than 428K? Or the fact that the summation of numbers of the first 11 countries with the least populations is less than 428K? Probably not. But why the random ‘428K’? As on June 15, the confirmed global coronavirus death toll has exceeded 428K, that’s why. See, an entire nation, or 11 of them for that matter, could be swept off of the face of earth in months. Make no mistake, the threat is real.
In this unprecedented dire situation, the cry for help is echoing in the air. For what it’s worth, we are getting to see the humane side of us through charitable works of all sorts. People all over the world are extending their arms to help the ones in need. Although identifying the helpless and distributing necessities among them is a ginormous task even with the help of the government itself. Expectedly so, almost every country is struggling with it.
Ours is no different. Times like this remind us to be appreciative of what is being done. It calls for encouragement, not criticism. In a world where no one knows how to deal with this pandemic, let us not indulge ourselves in pointing fingers just for the sake of pointing fingers.
There are three known acts catered to disaster management in Bangladesh. ‘Disaster Management Act 2012’, ‘National Plan for Disaster Management (NPDM) 2016 -2020’ and ‘Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) 2019’. Important to mention, all three acts have been initiated by the ruling party, Bangladesh Awami League.
This highlights the foresight of the ruling party. Showing concern where it is due. Although nobody expects a global pandemic like coronavirus, setting up disaster management acts is obligatory in a natural disaster prone country like ours.
Let us have a look at the relief distribution the government has done so far in terms of aiding the mass general people of the country. According to an official report on May 31, the govt. has distributed 162,193 MT GR Rice to 60,374,682 people (around 13,423,504 families) from Mar 26 to May 27; Cash Money 718,157,271 Taka to 7,958,304 families (around 37,510,858 individuals) and 180,865,220 Taka worth Baby Food for 1,215,759 babies.
The latest update on May 7 confirms that the food distribution has extended to about 9,025,000 families. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief published a report on June 11 that included the relief allocated to be distributed throughout the country. Among them were Rice 201,417 MT, Cash Money 911,372,264 BDT and for Baby Food 255,400,000 BDT.
Sad but true, there are a few incidents that have taken place. Suicide is a foreseeable phenomenon under the circumstances. No source of income to buy food to feed yourself and your family. The only way out seems quite obvious to many. The reasons behind their actions are the same – having no supplies and (most importantly) not knowing if there will be any.
Yes, the government is doing the best they can, but in a time where every minute is a decider between life and death, conveying hope is absolutely imperative. Although the government is actually sending them relief, the sad part is, they do not know, hence they do not hope.
It is not just the poor that are being affected by this lockdown. The middle-class or lower middle-class households are equally in grief. The difference between the poor and the middle-class households is that the poor earn day to day livelihood and the middle-class live from pay cheque to pay cheque. No real savings for either of them.
While the poor are the immediate victims, the latter get hit equally as hard by the end of the month if the salary is cut or they are laid off. Let’s not forget, chunk of the people in our capital belong to this group, and they could badly suffer. Harsh truth is the poor can ask for help to anyone, while the middle-class have enough self-esteem to not stand in the same line as the poor to receive relief. So they are strangled in the middle of nowhere.
This brings us to the potential solution to this problem and that is integrating technology into the system. It’s important to let the needy know that they are being tracked down. There are many examples of using technology for relief distribution throughout the globe.
Over 3.5 billion people were affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises from 2000 - 2016, and the impact is still being felt: around the world, there are 65 million displaced people, and the number is growing. The scale of this challenge is driving humanitarian organizations to use technology to help them with their vital work.
In light of coronavirus epidemic, our government has adopted technology to reach out to poor people. They are verified by their name, NID and phone number. Rather going through the lengthy and risky process of physical cash transfer, money is transferred online directly to their accounts.
For them, keeping in mind that time is of utmost priority, the government has collaborated with the existing FinTech companies like Nogod, bKash, Rocket and SureCash to utilize their already established technology and network. 50 lakh families have received 2500 Taka each as Eid Gift from the Prime Minister this Ramadan.
This shift in operation means there is now a 1 to 1 relationship with beneficiaries, which allows the authority to know who they are serving, as opposed to helping indiscriminate numbers of people. It also helps reduce system loss in regard to both time and dishonesty in the supply chain.
Government has collaborated with another private organization called Shohoz to build a mobile app that can trace and track people who have tested positive with coronavirus, and people who were in close proximity to them and might be exposed to the virus. They have named the app ‘Corona Tracer BD’ and it is available on Google Play Store. In a densely populated country like Bangladesh, it is almost impossible to do it manually. Hence a timely utilization of technology.
The private and autonomous entities have also stepped in using technology. The Teachers’ Association and The Alumni Association of University of Dhaka made a list of 1000 students of their institutions who belong to a poor household and sent 2000 taka to each of them through bKash or Rocket.
The president of DU Teachers’ Association, Dr. ASM Maksud Kamal (Dean, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences) was the initiator of this fund raising activity. He has inspired others to participate in such philanthropic acts. As for the middle-class community, there is a shining example of technology being used to help them out. Md Aslamul Haque, MP Dhaka-14, has introduced an android app service that has shifted the paradigm of relief distribution.
He is the first person in the country to organize a service addressed specifically to the crises of middle-class community of his electoral seat. Md Aslamul Haque MP said, “We tried to make the relief distribution comfortable to the middle-class and the lower middle-class community.” At first, he had started a hotline where people could send requests for emergency food.
His organization would sort them out and supply food to the doorsteps of the sender. In this era of social media, things escalated soon and he started receiving thousands of requests in the hotline number that became difficult to keep track of. So he took it to another level by developing a mobile app to track each and every user and request. In this app, a user can send a supply request completely anonymously and they will find the supplies delivered to their doorstep.
The app also ensures necessary measures to avoid exploitation. The Chief of Public Relation and Communication to Md Aslamul Haque MP, Mr. Nobendu Nirmal Saha Joy, said “Building a bridge between technology and humanity was the main purpose of this developing this app.” Mr. Saha has overseen the whole operation of this program. Execution was key and he delivered. We believe this app can be used in other areas as well.
Our honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, capable daughter of The Father of the Nation – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has come a long way in fulfilling her dream of making our country technologically advanced. It is the demand of time that we witness the use of technology to fight this pandemic. Let us move a step closer to absolute Digital Bangladesh.
The writer is an academician and researcher.
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