Development Priority, Not Publicity

Minister Satyendar Jain speaks to Somrita Ghosh and Gayathri Mani on Covid management, urban matters, inroads in Gujarat and other issues. He says the Centre claims credit without doing anything constructive and sounds confident that the AAP model of development is setting a national example

- Somrita Ghosh and Gayathri Mani

Holder of multiple portfolios including health, industry, home and transport, Satyendar Jain is a busy and key figure in the AAP government. The last year tested him and his party, as Delhi witnessed several peaks during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the process of restarting and rebuilding underway, Jain has his hands full. From managing the crisis, dealing with political adversaries, urban development to expansion plans of the party, the minister gets candid on a wide range of issues. Excerpts from the interview:

It’s been a year since the first Covid-19 case in Delhi. How would you describe this period in terms of governance and management? What were the highs and the lows?

2020 was totally a ‘corona year’. Not just Delhi or India, but globally. The fight the Delhi government undertook to combat the virus was commendable. We can say that the pandemic is largely under control.

What were the initial challenges of coping with the pandemic?

Initial challenge was knowing about the virus. No one had faced the spread of coronavirus. 1918 was the last time when a pandemic had occurred. There were no proofs or theories to explain Covid-19. Initially, it was said that the impact of the virus will restrain with the rise in temperature. Delhi touched 40 degrees, but it didn’t happen. It was also believed that with the lockdown, cases won’t surge and it will come to an end. So pattern of the spread of virus was not clear to anyone. Another challenge was treatment, which is still not there. First priority was how to contain it.

Initially, the government was coming up with multiple orders in a day. It appeared the authorities were in a confused state and on experiment mode...