Direct and indirect effects of the covid-19 pandemic and response in South Asia

Poverty alleviation and safety nets

Designing and implementing these policies will take time, which most of the vulnerable populations, including women, children, people with disabilities and daily wage earners, simply do not have in the wake of the pandemic. This is where poverty alleviation and social support programs can help bridge the gap. Since the start of

the pandemic, many countries, including LMICs, have instituted social safety net programs, such as income or food support, to alleviate the hardships brought on by the sweeping lockdowns put in place for several weeks earlier this year.

A recent report from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlights the efficacy of unconditional emergency cash transfers, or temporary basic income (TBI) in ameliorating the worst effects of COVID-19, especially on poor or near-poor households (72). The authors stipulate that at a cost of 0.27 – 0.63% of each country’s GDP, TBI is within reach for all 132 countries included in their analysis (72).

One example of a TBI program implemented to mitigate the worst of the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is Ehsaas Emergency Cash program in Pakistan, which provided a lump sum of PKR 12000 (~US$75) to poor households, and is reported to have reached more than 14.6 million beneficiaries since its inception earlier this year (73, 74). The program is also focusing on gender equality in Pakistan by ensuring that at least 50% of all beneficiaries are women (75).

The World Bank reports that since March 2020, a total of

$589 billion has been spent (reported from

114 countries) on social protection programs with per capita spending ranging from $121 in high-income countries to $1 in low-income settings (76). The impact of these on utilization and access to health and nutrition services is still unknown and needs to be estimated.