Mapping and Analysis of India Government’s Response to COVID-19

2. STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY With the outbreak of COVID, as the spread increased and more information about the virus was uncovered, both the central government and state governments individually announced several policy decisions to contain it. Further, measures were also announced to support citizens and businesses who were affected by such containment measures.

At this end, the study looked at the interventions at the levels of union government as well as in selected states where Rainbow Homes Program is running viz., West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Jharkhand and Delhi. The key objectives of this report is to comprehensively map the interventions of different Departments – issuing of Government Orders, Advisories, Circulars, Directives, Press Releases and Guidelines- in relation to curbing the impact of the pandemic. The states were purposefully selected to ensure diversity of experiences, approaches and interventions by different state governments. However, point to be noted that this report does not aim to compare interventions across the study states, rather documents the details of major Government orders, Supreme Court Directions, advisories, memorandums, circulars, press releases, standard operation procedures (SOP) and letters issued by different departments etc. for major categories.

Methodologically, this document is prepared from secondary research and literature reviews only by looking at different circulars, Standard Operative Procedures and advisories issued by different departments as well as orders, court orders, directives, notifications and press releases issued by the governments and departments at national and state levels from time to time since March 2020. Apart from that court orders released by High Court or Supreme Court have been documented.

Key government departments of direct relevance to this study mainly include, i) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ii) Revenue Department, iii) Labour, iv) Ministry of School, Higher, Technical education, v) Ministry of women and child development, vi) Department of Food and Civil Supplies, vii) Department General of Information and Public Relations and viii) Ministry of Home Affairs.

The report documents fiscal and monitory policy measures on food, education, nutrition, income, health, migrants and other relief by Union and Few State Governments to fight the COVID 19 pandemic until September 2020. It captures responses of central government and government in eight sample mentioned above focusing on interventions having direct implications for poor and marginalised sections of the population including children. Apart 8|Page