YOU CAN BUY A ‘CORONA WARRIOR’ CERTIFICATE!

In the fight against Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described doctors, paramedical staff, policemen and safari karamcharis as frontline “Corona Warriors” and appreciated their role several times. But, so far, the government has not announced an “appreciation certificate” for them. For a breed of so-called “volunteers” and their “mentors” of the Capital’s power hubs, this has become an opportunity to encash the crisis. There is a craze among this unscrupulous lot to carry the badge of a “Corona Warrior”.

A virtual industry of shady NGOS, organisations and wheeler-dealers has cropped up to oblige anyone willing to shell out a hefty sum for a “certificate of appreciation” or “dedication” or “kindness” (with many more fancy titles) for being a “Covid-19 Warrior”. All of them are “proudly presenting” these digital certificates online for a price, with the promise of a VVIP event after the lockdown lifts. The “recipients” range from political leaders, government officers, journalists, activists, doctors, police officers to many recently established private “anti-corona task forces”.

Such certificates are being freely issued by unheard of journalists’ unions and media welfare bodies. A selfstyled Muslim community leader, and owner and editorin-chief of some small-time newspapers has issued an appreciation certificate to his journalist daughter and other relatives. A young woman owner of little-known magazines, who was once a member of the Press Club’s executive committee, has got herself a “Samman Patra”.

With an aim to impress, the names and titles of organisations issuing these certificates contain eyecatching words like “Rajniti”, “National”, “All-india”, “World”, “Parliament”, “Human Rights”, “Minority”,

“Public Health Organisation”, “Media”, “Journalists’ Union” and “Journalists’ Rights”. The thriving cash-for-certificate industry has exposed the darker side of society in which compassion has been overshadowed by greed. But who cares? For “recipients”, these are “status symbols”.

Shockingly, some certificates bear the four-lion State Emblem of India, the WHO logo or logos of Mygov and Fit India movement launched by PM Modi. One certificate, we are told, even has the PM’S photo for extra weight. There are others which claim the issuing NGO or organization is “affiliated” or “recognized” by ministries. The idea is to give a general impression that these certificates are “official”. Interestingly, most of the issuers of certificates use the

“Dr” abbreviation used by a doctor, but there is no way to know if the person, certifying an individual’s “selfless service” to fight the biggest health scare of the century, is a qualified medical expert or a doctoral degree holder.

“The long-term objective seems to be to corner some sort of government recognition, benefit, position, assignment or contract on the basis of these fake certificates,” said a media person, who himself was offered a chance to

“buy” one of these for Rs 10,000. A functionary of one such NGO admitted that “these certificates are a craze among aspirants of high civilian awards”. One wonders if some of these fake documents would get misused for making representations to the Union Home Ministry for Padma and other such awards. Only the National Union of Journalists (India) has followed the best practice of establishing a search committee to identify people, who have done and are doing good work in the fight against coronavirus. Headed by Alok Mehta, former chief of the Editors’ Guild of India, the committee includes a member of the Press Council of India, a retired senior IAS officer, a former Uttar Pradesh government public relations official, a retired RML Hospital doctor and a Supreme Court lawyer among others. “What is the hurry to issue appreciation certificates? Has Covid-19 ended?” wonders Mehta.