Articles by Sathya Sankaran

Sathya Sankaran is a consultant on urban mobility with a background in technology and public policy. He uses data and analytics to inform decision making. He writes about sustainable cities and runs programs that enable on-ground action.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the gaps in emergency response coordinated by the government. Large amounts of emergency items from beds, oxygen tanks, concentrators, medicines, vaccines, masks and food needed to be bought and delivered. With shortage of labour and a lockdown, the supply of these critical needs posed a challenge to overcome. Shortage of labour, created by a combination of reverse migration and affliction of the disease, also contributed to the logistical challenge. At this point, civil society stepped in and relieved an overwhelmed government apparatus which is not built for such calamities.  The first lockdown saw…

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