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India And Covid - Foreign Aid
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I find this totally abhorrent. I am not suggesting we don't help, but surely this is complete madness.
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I find this totally abhorrent. I am not suggesting we don't help, but surely this is complete madness.
Answers
The point being that a country buckling under the weight of a health emergency while literally swimming in its own waste has no business reaching for the stars. It's an utter obscenity and no amount of puffed up outrage from right-on advocates for advancement will change that fact. Fix the basics then you can go out and play.
20:12 Sun 25th Apr 2021
The point being that a country buckling under the weight of a health emergency while literally swimming in its own waste has no business reaching for the stars.
It's an utter obscenity and no amount of puffed up outrage from right-on advocates for advancement will change that fact.
Fix the basics then you can go out and play.
It's an utter obscenity and no amount of puffed up outrage from right-on advocates for advancement will change that fact.
Fix the basics then you can go out and play.
I agree with both previous posters - odd. India should change its priorities, definitely (douglas) but they are unprepared, people are dying and they need help - so I agree very much with sending practical help. Pressure should later be brought to bear to ensure that India changes its priorities - perhaps we could gradually reduce our aid?
Apc; Anyone saying, "a country who's Government has totally failed the people" has clearly never been in India. The government does have faults, but trying to contain a pandemic within so populous & crowded country with many millions largely illiterate, is a problem of unimaginable dimensions, quite unlike China, which has a complete authoritarian hold over its population, who do exactly what they are told or suffer the consequences.
also: India's space programme began long before covid & is irrelevant to this matter.
also: India's space programme began long before covid & is irrelevant to this matter.
There are a couple of things bothering me on this.
Firstly the gross misrepresentation of facts by the media. India has a population of around 1.4 Bn, around 23 times that of the UK. UK total deaths to date are cira 127k (as reported) deaths in India are circa 195k. To be worse than us they would need exceed 2.5M. At the height of the last 'wave' there were 1,823 a day, to 'beat' that India would have to have 36460 a day. Currently they have circa 2,800.
The next problem I have is the 'space' and nuclear programs. Yes its wrong but that was yesterday and they could not have foreseen the problems of today. India has terrible communication and infrastructure outside of the main cities. Even if they had spent the space money on it then there would barely be a difference.
India also has a major problem with social status. It has the third largest number of billionaires but also has million in real poverty(as opposed to perceived poverty of the UK). Due to cultural differences this money will not flow from one to the other.
All said though, I think if we can help then we should. This is exactly what foreign aid budget should be spent on. Instead of a % of GDP spent each year I would prefer a fund to be built up and used for this sort of humanitarian aid. No cash given out just help as and when justified.
Firstly the gross misrepresentation of facts by the media. India has a population of around 1.4 Bn, around 23 times that of the UK. UK total deaths to date are cira 127k (as reported) deaths in India are circa 195k. To be worse than us they would need exceed 2.5M. At the height of the last 'wave' there were 1,823 a day, to 'beat' that India would have to have 36460 a day. Currently they have circa 2,800.
The next problem I have is the 'space' and nuclear programs. Yes its wrong but that was yesterday and they could not have foreseen the problems of today. India has terrible communication and infrastructure outside of the main cities. Even if they had spent the space money on it then there would barely be a difference.
India also has a major problem with social status. It has the third largest number of billionaires but also has million in real poverty(as opposed to perceived poverty of the UK). Due to cultural differences this money will not flow from one to the other.
All said though, I think if we can help then we should. This is exactly what foreign aid budget should be spent on. Instead of a % of GDP spent each year I would prefer a fund to be built up and used for this sort of humanitarian aid. No cash given out just help as and when justified.
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TTT//Douglas, BA, spot on an unusual but welcome bout of common sense.//
I don't want to tarnish Douglas' glory, but I must challenge his assertions, and your appraisal of them that you must, "Fix the basics then you can go out and play." and India that "has no business reaching for the stars".
A space programme isn't about looking for 'little green men on Mars'.
If India or any underdeveloped country is to "fix the basics" i.e. education, health, infrastructure, defence etc. & it cannot do this without a good network of communications & information technology, & the only way to have this in the modern world is through the use of satellites & the only way to have them is by having a space programme in order get them up there.
So I'm sorry, but the BA is in my opinion, specious.
I don't want to tarnish Douglas' glory, but I must challenge his assertions, and your appraisal of them that you must, "Fix the basics then you can go out and play." and India that "has no business reaching for the stars".
A space programme isn't about looking for 'little green men on Mars'.
If India or any underdeveloped country is to "fix the basics" i.e. education, health, infrastructure, defence etc. & it cannot do this without a good network of communications & information technology, & the only way to have this in the modern world is through the use of satellites & the only way to have them is by having a space programme in order get them up there.
So I'm sorry, but the BA is in my opinion, specious.
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