‘The pandemic has pushed people to question many of society’s inequalities’ – 30 quotes from India’s COVID-19 struggle

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week. This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle (see last week’s post here). Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

The Saline Gargle RT-PCR method needs implementation across the nation, especially in resource-poor regions like rural and tribal areas. - Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, MSME

Technologically superior air ambulances can change the course of treatment of critical patients while reducing the number of lives lost to illnesses such as COVID-19. - Prabhdeep Singh, StanPlus

Technology can help augment the ability of healthcare providers manifold. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology across patients and providers. - Vikas Chauhan, HexaHealth

In India, the uncertainties and vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic saw people turn to familiar traditions to brace themselves physically and mentally. - Kaninika Mishra, ‘The Indic Quotient’

The pandemic has led to a realisation that science is important to our future. - Hari Pulakkat, ‘Space. Life. Matter’

The unprecedented disruption of a classroom due to pandemic-driven digitalisation presents a rare opportunity for schools to adopt hybrid learning models and improve learning outcomes for students. - Divya Venkatavaraghavan, Lightrock

The pandemic has forced children to learn at home in front of their computers. It also allowed the parents to compare school teachers with the teachers of online edtech companies. - Aneesh Bangia, Open Door

Even after the pandemic is over, the technology will continue to play a pivotal role in education segment – both for learners and educators. - Ketan Gala, Navneet Education

Our research suggests that gender gaps in online learning narrowed during the pandemic, even as gender employment gaps widened. - Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera

In many ways, [technology] has catalysed the development of innovations in the education space, and it is imperative for us to reimagine education and keep pace with these innovations. - Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog

Professionals are looking at broadening the industries and skillsets to stay relevant in the changing job market. - Amazon India

The pandemic has allowed more one-on-one time without the distraction of 100 other things, so use it wisely. - Srikripa Srinivasan, Dell

ALSO READ

World Bamboo Day: This woman entrepreneur’s social enterprise aims to empower tribal women in Odisha

In-office interactions can lead to better creativity and people-connect which are essential for any high growth company. This is where a hybrid workplace fits in. - Pravanjan Choudhury, Capillary Technologies

With remote working at an all-time high, it has become imperative for managers and companies to ensure that their teams have everything they need to get the job done. - Arjun Gupta, Courseplay

The pandemic altered consumer psychology in a direction where people prioritise their needs over desires. - Alex Chung, NEXSTGO Company

User aspirations are changing by the day, and their personas have also most definitely been altered, owing to the hardships brought forth by the pandemic. - Anupam Kulkarni, iauro Systems

The pandemic has changed habits for people. It has propelled digital adoption as TV channels were shut down and people, who were tired of just watching COVID-19 related news coverage, were also looking for entertainment from more digital sources. - Divya Dixit, ALTBalaji

Physical book buying has come down, and Kindle reading has gone up – but not to the same extent. - R Gopalakrishnan, ‘A Biography of Innovations’

Buying a home has become a prerogative for millions of Indians post-COVID-19. - Kanika Gupta Shori, Square Yards

70 percent of Indian retail is what we call ‘value buying’. As we emerge out of the pandemic, we expect the value segment to go from around 90 billion to about 215 billion. - Manoj Muthu Kumar, Kearney

Indian express courier industry processes more than 2.8 billion packages annually, growing rapidly at a CAGR of 19 percent YoY. The pandemic and online retail continue to accelerate the demand. - Prashant Jain, IAN

The grit and innovation of SMBs during a time of great change has been a triumph. This has also been a testament to the perseverance and creativity of SMBs and the communities in which they operate. - Arun Kumar Parameswaran, Salesforce India

ALSO READ

How women can attain financial independence during Covid

E-commerce and all other forms of online work have emerged as an alternative to fulfilling consumer demand during the crisis, but they are not a panacea for all the employment challenges that are confronting our country. - Sabina Dewan, JustJobs Network

The pandemic has been a watershed moment for businesses, especially those having to do with ecommerce in any form. - Ashvin Chadha, Anicut Angel Fund

Each and every company out there which has survived was smart enough to adapt. Many firms embraced D2C, online deliveries, and even WFH. - Suresh Narasimha, CoCreate Ventures

The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online D2C brands, and we are seeing supercharged growth with a focus on everyday comfort. - Utkarsh Biradar, Flatheads

During the pandemic, the process of meeting people couldn’t happen and most other loan forms had gone digital but home loans as a product isn’t that digitised. - Pramod Kathuria, Easiloan

The insurance industry is likely to see rapid growth due to the hard lessons learnt during the pandemic. The old ways of doing business are already being disrupted by a tech-first approach. - Saransh Garg, Nova Benefits

During the pandemic we saw the need to develop technology solutions where logistics companies could experiment with new business models to cater to the demand in grocery and pharmaceuticals. - Himanshu Gupta, Shipsy

ALSO READ

[Monday Motivation] This corporate professional has dedicated his life for selfless deeds, volunteering with over 60 social groups

I believe we found that humans are much more resilient than anyone believed possible. - Keel Hunt, ‘The Family Business’

Corporates have responded to COVID with great urgency and remarkable flexibility, fast-tracking CSR project approvals for the timely procurement of essential medical supplies, working in tandem with central, state governments and local agencies. - Bhomik Shah, CSRBOX

Rural unemployment has always been a major concern even before the pandemic. With businesses and manufacturing slowing down, the situation has deteriorated even further. - R P Yadav, Genius Consultants

The pandemic has pushed people to question many of society’s inequalities and find ways to create a better life for everyone. - Kamal Dutta, Skillsoft

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).