Thursday, April 23, 2020

Three Special Issues of RIS Diary on COVID-19

Volume 16, No.4 - April 2020

Table of Contents
  • From Director General, RIS |  Sachin Chaturvedi | The debates are back on the table on the role of science and technology with regard to fighting COVID-19 which has thrown the entire world into an unprecedented health and safety crisis that is worsening day by day. All economic and social activities have come to a halt at global level. It is in these contexts, that RIS has come out with the Third Special Edition of RIS Diary on COVID -19. The issue contains articles on: "Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation in India for Tackling COVID-19" by Arabinda Mitra; "Science, Technology and Innovation - Fighting the COVID-19 Outbreak" by Bhaskar Balakrishnan; "Science Diplomacy : Covid and Beyond" by Balakrishna Pisupati; "Global Governance of Technology, Institutional Architecture and Indian Response to COVID-19" by Sachin Chaturvedi; "Science, Technology, and Innovation in Indian Systems of Medicine: An Exploration in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic" by T. C. James and Apurva Bhatnagar; "Science, Technology and Innovation and the Challenge of Epidemic" by Krishna Ravi Srinivas; "Impact of COVID-19 on the World Economy" by Biswajit Banerjee; "Global Institutions and COVID-19" by Atul Kaushik. We hope that articles contained here and in the two previous special issues of RIS Diary would serve as useful references in the on-going discussions at different levels on issues related to the war against COVID-19. While hoping sincerely that humankind will come out of this dark tunnel soon to rejoin the normal course of various socio-economic activities, we would highly appreciate to hear from you about the contents of the Special Issues of RIS Diary.
  • Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation in India for Tackling COVID-19 | Arabinda Mitra | The Covid-19 epidemic has resulted in greater collaboration among scientists and innovation throughout the world.1 Many Academies of Science, including the Royal Society are actively engaged in providing policy advice, providing a voice to the scientific community and educating and informing the public on the scientific aspects in the fight against the epidemic and cautioning against undue fear and false claims and narratives.
  • Science, Technology and Innovation - Fighting the COVID-19 Outbreak | Bhaskar Balakrishnan | The current COVID-19 outbreak (caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) which began in Wuhan, China in late November 2019 has so far spread to 210 countries and territories and resulted in over 2 million cases and 137,000 deaths. It has led to socio-economic disruptions on a global and unprecedented scale. A global coordinated response to the outbreak was slow in taking shape.                          
  • Science Diplomacy: COVID-19 and Beyond | Balakrishna Pisupati | If there is one time in the recent decades that science and scientists have received most attention, it is now! The novel corona virus that has brought the world to a standstill, eroding significant social and economic development gains in a matter of weeks, has proven to the world that countries are more inter-connected and dependent on one another now than before. Such lack of selfreliance is evident now when it came to use of science and its applications.                                            
  • Global Governance of Technology, Institutional Architecture and Indian Response to COVID-19 | Sachin Chaturvedi | The origin and evolution of Corona virus is under intense debate at this point. Highly conflicting and polarising evidences, inferences and commentaries have appeared in scientific journals and across popular publications. There are also debates and discussions on whether it is a man-made virus or a naturally occurring one. When China reported about the spread of Corona virus and WHO declared it as a pandemic, scientific fraternity across the world started working on the genetic make-up of the virus.
  • Science, Technology, and Innovation in Indian Systems of Medicine: An Exploration in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic | T. C. James, Apurva Bhatnagar | Times of stress are also times of creativity and innovation. Wars have spawned many scientific innovations or hastened the completion of on-going research projects. The Manhattan Project was an example. We are now living in difficult times. Such adverse situations can also bring out the best in the innovation front of the traditional medicine systems. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is also the path for Indian Systems of Medicine (ISMs) to progress.
  • Science, Technology and Innovation and the Challenge of Epidemic | Krishna Ravi Srinivas | In a recent twitter talk Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) Professor K. Vijay Raghavan described some of the ideas used to tackle the innovation, including expediting review of proposals on innovative solutions and try to guide the prospective innovators on regulatory issues.1 He also talked about caution against over-interpretation of findings and need for more evidence for theories and hypotheses proposed on aetiology link between immunity and vaccination and enhancing immunity.
  • Impact of Covid-19 on the World Economy | Biswajit Banerjee | The Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the world economy. The global economic outlook was already fragile prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis. Initially, when the outbreak emerged in China, it was thought that the negative impact on the global economy would be small —mainly limited to the output contraction in China and its knock-on effect on global supply chains, tourism, and commodity markets.
  • Global Institutions and COVID-19 | Atul Kaushik | In this era of 'missing in action' United Nations Organisation, a dysfunctional World Trade Organisation and now cash strapped World Health Organisation, lack of adequate global coordinated action against the new Corona virus reminds us of the need for robust institutions. Writing for The Economist on 15 April 2020, Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister and currently President of the Asia Society Policy Institute at New York opines that much of the complex web of national and global institutions established to deal with global pandemics and economic implosions has failed.

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