Reporters Without Orders Ep 164: Covid crisis in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

This episode is hosted by Basant Kumar, who is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and independent Journalist Sourabh Sharma.

Saurabh talks about his recent reports on Uttar Pradesh’s pandemic situation. In the capital Lucknow, he says, there’s utter helplessness and the main reason is the unpreparedness of the Adityanath government. "All of them were busy with elections, nobody paid much attention to Covid, it was as if it was gone,” he laments.

It’s a similar situation in Madhya Pradesh, says Prateek, where “the healthcare system has completely collapsed”. Yet, in both the Hindi heartland states, Saurabh and Prateek point out, the governments are fudging the data.

The panel also discuss how, owing to the failure of state and central governments to tackle the dire situation, social media has emerged as a helpline for those seeking help for Covid patients. This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.

Tune in!

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