India, July 11 -- We need to reframe 'development' away from aggregate measures of growth towards a sharper, more telling focus on the advancement of the majority of our population.

The uncertainty surrounding the virulence and intensity of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic has forced policymakers to become more people-centric. A major hallmark of the reorientation has rightly been towards meeting what citizens need the most, with a focus on abetting their means of livelihood. No matter the country, the lockdowns of varying lengths and severity, imposed consequent upon the breakout of the disease, have hugely impacted the working class and poor families. Devising ways and means to get such vulnerable sections back to their normal routine...