




































Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal 3 (2): 5–11, July 2020 

 
COMMENTARY 
 

THE POST-COVID INDIA: MAKING SCIENCE 
AND TECHNOLOGY SOCIALLY AND 
ENVIRONMENTALLY RELEVANT  
 

Prerna Singh Bindra, Chirag Gajjar, Arunabha Ghosh, Manoj Kumar, 

Crispino Lobo, Digangana Mukherjee, Pradeep Nair, Shannon 

Olsson, Nitin Pandit, Tina Patrao, Uma Ramakrishnan, Usha 

Ramanathan, Nimish Shah, Priya Shyamsundar, Prashanth N Srinivas 
 
 

                                                        
 bindra.prerna@gmail.com.  
 Chirag.Gajjar@wri.org. 
 arunabha.ghosh@ceew.in. 
 manoj@tatatrusts.org. 
 cslobo1@gmail.com. 
 digangana@echonetwork.in. 
 p.nair@fordfoundation.org. 
 shannon@echonetwork.in. 
 nitin.pandit@atree.org. 
 tina@echonetwork.in. 
 uramakri@ncbs.res.in. 
 urushar@gmail.com. 
 shah@toiletboard.org. 
 priya.shyamsundar@tnc.org.  
 prashanthns@iphindia.org. 

The authors represent a multi-disciplinary group brought together for a discussion on 
COVID-19 in May 2020 by the echo network, Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, 
(C-Camp), UAS-GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India. 

Copyright © Bindra, Gajjar, Ghosh, Kumar, Lobo, Mukherjee, Nair, Olsson, Pandit, Patrao, 
Ramakrishnan, Ramanathan, Shah, Shyamsundar, Srinivas 2020. Released under Creative 
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) by the 
author.  

Published by Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), c/o Institute of Economic 
Growth, University Enclave, North Campus, Delhi 110007.  

ISSN: 2581-6152 (print); 2581-6101 (web). 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v3i2.279  

https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v3i2.279


Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [6] 

1. INTRODUCTION  

The ongoing global pandemic and its health and economic effects have 
aggravated multiple existing systemic vulnerabilities linked to human and 
environmental systems, both in India and around the globe. Science and 
technology offer evidence- and data-driven strategies to address these 
challenges, but they ought to be grounded in an overall value framework 
that applies evidence and data to strengthen human, social, and ecological 
resilience. Critical to identifying successful solutions is an interdisciplinary 
approach. 

 

2. DIALOGUE ACROSS DISCIPLINES 

In May 2020, steered by the echo network, 1  the authors of this 
commentary—a group of economists, public health professionals, lawyers, 
environmental scholars, policymakers, activists, journalists, and CEOs—
assembled over three online discussions to identify the urgent problems 
created, revealed, or exacerbated by the current crisis; clarify priorities for 
rejuvenating India; and establish immediate starting points. Our goal was to 
stimulate further discussions on the role of science and technology as India 
readies itself to address and move beyond COVID-19. 

The online dialogue started with a survey to identify pressing COVID-19 
related concerns. At the first online meeting, participants identified a series 
of priority challenges that were later categorized into broader concepts. A 
second discussion streamlined these constructs into the ―compass points‖ 
that we outline below. The final conversation led to the drawing up of 
recommendations to which science, including social science and local 
knowledge systems, and technology can contribute. These are meant to 
serve as triggers for deeper dialogue across sectors on knowledge gaps and 
methods for targeted interdisciplinary research. This process, through a 
progressive funnelling of ideas from challenges to concepts to 
recommendations, allowed diverse viewpoints to be recognized and 
synthesized (echo network 2020). 

 

 

 

 

                                                        
1 Please see https://www.echonetwork.in/.  

https://www.echonetwork.in/


[7] Prerna Singh Bindra, Chirag Gajjar, Arunabha Ghosh, Manoj Kumar, Crispino Lobo, et al.  

3. PREVENTIVE AND RESPONSIVE PUBLIC HEALTH 
SYSTEMS 

While life expectancy has steadily increased in India, morbidity and 
mortality risks vary significantly across the country based on location and 
socio-economic status (Ravindran and Gaitonde 2018; ISDBIC 2017). 
Thus, the current pandemic calls for a careful diagnostic assessment of 
disease and accident risk across Indian states and the environmental, 
agricultural, and livelihood sources of risk. Further, the decentralized and 
intersectoral management of interactions among people, livestock, wildlife, 
forests, and water is essential to prevent and respond to infectious diseases. 
Science and technology have a role to play in facilitating OneHealth 2 
approaches that recognize the interconnections among people, animals, and 
plants and their shared environment (Chatterjee et al. 2016; Vanak and Paul 
2020). 

In addition, we need a system-wide overhaul of primary healthcare, with 
investments in infrastructure and provisions, disease surveillance based on 
OneHealth principles, and local health governance supported by trained 
public health professionals rather than specialist doctors, who currently 
dominate public health and infectious disease management. For instance, 
providing essential public health workers, such as the million women 
ASHAs (accredited social health activists) at the forefront of the 
Government of India’s COVID response, with training, equipment, and 
strategies to cope with any negative societal responses to their work, is 
critical. There are serious capacity gaps at the district level in primary and 
secondary healthcare and educational programmes on nutrition, safety, and 
hygiene. These gaps need to be filled with the support of nodal public 
health research and training centres. Earlier efforts, including the High-
Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage, can offer guidance on 
such investments (Planning Commission of India, 2011, Takhur 2011, Patel 
et al. 2015). The National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well Being, 
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the 
Global Health Security Agenda provide specific targets and indicators.3 

                                                        
2  OneHealth is defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as ―a collaborative, 
multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and 
global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the 
interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment‖ (see the 
CDC website for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html.)  
3  Please see http://psa.gov.in/pmstiac-mssions/national-biodiversity-mission for National 
Biodiversity Mission, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India. 
Please see https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ 
for the 17 interconnected SDGs. The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) is a group of 

https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html
http://psa.gov.in/pmstiac-mssions/national-biodiversity-mission
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/


Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [8] 

4. COMMUNITIES WITH DIGNITY AND EQUITY 

The current crisis has aggravated as well as focused attention on the glaring 
inequities within India’s population, with some staying at home without the 
ability to practise physical distancing and others returning home under 
extremely difficult circumstances. It has also brought into stark relief the 
invisible work undertaken by two demographic groups—migrants and 
women caregivers. The mass migration of Indians as a result of COVID-19, 
in particular, has put a spotlight on two critical issues: a) the need for 
mandatory registration of employees at the lowest administrative levels of 
businesses (to enable assessment and communication); and b) decentralized 
data-driven public service delivery (to meet basic needs). A series of 
recommendations are available in the 2017 Working Group on Migration 
(MHUPA 2017). Importantly, significant progress is possible by enforcing 
existing laws such as the Interstate Migrant Workmen’s Act of 1979 (Chief 
Labour Commissioner 2020). 

Supporting vulnerable mobile populations will require decentralized action 
by smart, inclusive, and sustainable communities. Thus, local governments 
(urban and rural) need to be empowered to deliver quality public services—
and particularly health and safety information and services—while 
simultaneously enabling residents to access information and data at their 
source. Medium-term strategies may include establishing central- and state-
level commissions (with public representation) to examine current 
inequities in service access and district-level citizen-focused public 
emergency funds. Some immediate actions, supported by evidence-based 
research on impacts on nature and the livelihoods of both men and women, 
can help with long-term sustainable development. Public works 
programmes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment 
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 4  and Pradhan Manthri Krishi Sinchayee 
Yojana can be used to restore ecosystems, build agricultural infrastructure, 
and conserve water resources, especially in rural districts with high tribal, 
returning migrant, or daily wage worker populations. 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                            
67 countries, international organizations, non-government organizations, and private-sector 
companies that have come together to address threats posed by infectious diseases. 
https://ghsagenda.org/.  
4 Please see Narayan (2020) on MGNREGA’s potential to address economic crisis-related 
challenges. 

https://nrega.nic.in/
https://ghsagenda.org/


[9] Prerna Singh Bindra, Chirag Gajjar, Arunabha Ghosh, Manoj Kumar, Crispino Lobo, et al.  

5. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS 

With the economy in crisis, the pandemic has brought attention to India’s 
persistently large informal sector (Ghani et al. 2013), which provides over 
90% of jobs (Mehrotra and Parida 2019), and the dominant role of micro, 
small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Urgent action to support MSMEs 
would include payment of public-sector outstanding dues and a time-bound 
government credit guarantee on incremental loans to induce lending to 
MSMEs. Further, a recovery package that includes low-interest credit to 
promote climate- and biodiversity-friendly business practices and 
investments in clean R&D, waste management, energy generation, grid 
development, and regenerative agriculture would nudge India onto a 
climate-smart and nature-positive pathway.  

Successful examples of distributed market linkages point to how we may be 
able to move the economy forward with a united focus on jobs, growth, 
and sustainability. New scientific and technological innovations in 
distributed and decentralized energy, water, and sanitation infrastructure, 
sustainable cooling, regenerative agriculture, and rural value chains can 
support both rural and urban economies (Ghosh et al. 2020). Human, 
livestock, and agri-residue waste offer additional potential resources for 
conversion to energy or farm nutrients. These new sources of growth 
would require research, capital, and public education to bolster rural 
entrepreneurship. Collaborations between industry, education, and the 
government can provide pedagogical and technical training for the 
production, use, and repair of new technologies and services. With the 
active participation of Indian youth, both men and women, this 
interdisciplinary space where science, technology, social science, and policy 
intersect can generate innovation. Women’s labour force participation in 
India was already on the decline (32% in 2005 to 21% in 2018 [ILO 2020]) 
and any job rebound from COVID-19 is likely to be far easier for men than 
women. Hence, technical training would need to pay attention to drawing 
Indian women into the labour force. 

 

6. SECURE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ECOSYSTEMS 

Modern scientific knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, and SDG 
targets can be combined into a roadmap that prevents environmental 
degradation and strengthens ecosystem protection and restoration. This 
roadmap would need to be guided by careful research and analyses of 
biodiversity and ecosystem service losses and predictions regarding disease 
emergence, climate change impacts, and economic and health implications. 
Rigorous environmental, social, and economic assessments, combined with 



Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [10] 

stakeholder participation, and lifecycle analyses of infrastructure and 
industry planning can help incorporate the benefits of ecological goods and 
services into decision-making. To be effective, research would need to be 
coupled with local monitoring. The National Mission on Biodiversity and 
Human Well Being can assist in this process (Krishnan 2020).  

Closely entwined with the loss in biodiversity and ecosystem services is 
agriculture, which is fundamental to India’s food security and for securing 
livelihoods. Making agriculture both more competitive and increasingly 
nature-positive and climate-responsive is a critical challenge. Research to 
foster integrated watershed development and regenerative agricultural 
practices would need to go hand-in-hand with investments in upgrading 
rural skills, technology adoption across value chains, and efficient post-
harvest activities. 

 

7. CONCLUSIONS 

The pandemic has brought to the forefront systemic issues that require an 
interdisciplinary focus to generate effective solutions. Innovations in 
science and technology have the potential to drive positive social, 
economic, and environmental change, but they need to be explicitly 
leveraged for this purpose. Interdisciplinary research can facilitate reforms 
that are more sustainable and equitable. We hope that our efforts will 
stimulate new science and additional conversations across sectors and 
geographic boundaries to identify ways to better embed scientific discourse 
into society. 

 

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[11] Prerna Singh Bindra, Chirag Gajjar, Arunabha Ghosh, Manoj Kumar, Crispino Lobo, et al.  

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