While 2020 proved to be an extremely difficult year with all the unexpected and unforeseen events with record unemployment, climate crises, and social injustices; there were a few good things that happened and in ways restored and upheld our belief in existence and humanity.
Here is headline 8’s highlights of the top good things that happened in 2020:
World’s 2nd tallest statue unveiled in Gujarat:
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on January 3 unveiled the second tallest statue of SardarVallabhbhai Patel in the world at Ahmedabad
The bronze statue stands at 50 feet with a weight of 70 thousand kilograms.
Mission Indradhanush 2.0 begins
On January 7, 2020, the second phase of the intensified mission, mission Indradhanush, rolled out at block level in 35 districts of uttar Pradesh. The aim is to achieve 90% vaccination coverage for children below the age of 2.
Assam’s Bodo Peace Accord:
With an aim to bring permanent peace in Bodo-dominated areas in Assam, the Government of India on January 27 signed the historic Bodo Peace accord with the dreaded insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and the United Bodo People’s Organization (UBPO) providing political and economic benefits without acceding to the demand for a separate state or Union Territory. The peace accord aimed at bringing an end to the Bodo conflict which dates back to the pre-independence era.
Budget 2020: Wellness, Water, and Sanitation:
On February 1, 2020, the Finance Minister of India presented the Budget for the financial year 2020-21. The GoI gave utmost importance to the health sector. The GoI under the Budget 2020-21 aimed to provide wellness, water and sanitation by allocating funds for various schemes. The central ideas of the Budget were “Aspirational India, Economic development, A Caring Society”.
IMF places India as the fifth largest economy:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the October World Economic Outlook report depicting India as the 5th largest economy in the world. India managed to leave behind France and the United Kingdom.
Justice for Nirbhaya:
All four death-row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhayagangrape and murder case were executed at 5.30 am on March 20, bringing the curtains down on a 7-year-old case that had left the nation in shock.
‘Heroes’ got a new definition this year:
We learned to appreciate the selfless dedication of nurses, orderlies, doctors, and other health workers who risked their lives to save ours — and the selfless dedication of truck drivers, grocery stockers, farmworkers and so many more who risked their lives to keep the economy from collapsing. They are in true sense heroes of the highest order.
Nature healed as humans locked inside:
In April 2020, NASA satellite images showed a significant reduction in pollution over a part of the United States. Similar results were seen in other parts of the world as well. In India’s capital city, Delhi, a week of lockdown brought down nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration, primarily the result of burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation, over the city to its lowest level since July 2018.
In fact, air pollution started dropping after March 16. The result was cleaner air and better visibility.
While the improvement in air quality came at a high cost with stay home orders, nature had its much-needed break from us and global warming.
Animals Reclaiming their territory:
Does anyone remember how wild animals roamed the streets of Haridwar? Or when a commuter captured a Nilgai (Asian antelope) outside a Noida mall? Well, there have been several such incidents when animals came out of their hiding spots and roamed the streets in the absence of any human activity.
Pfizer and German biotechnology BioNTech company Comes Up with a vaccine for coronavirus:
Pfizer and the German biotechnology company BioNTech developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines that has been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. Community, the brand name for the vaccine, was approved by the UK on Dec 2 and limited vaccinations started the following week. Meanwhile, European regulators just this week signed off on the Pfizer shot. It’s been a tough year for humanity, but, with the COVID-19 vaccine rolling out, 2021 might look significantly different.
More people than ever had access to electricity:
Efforts to improve access to electricity in developing nations are bearing fruit, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), published in October. It found that the number of people without electricity dropped from almost 860 million in 2018 to 770 million in 2019, which the IEA claimed was a record low. Electricity projects in India and some African nations have hooked millions up to the grid, with progress needing to be maintained throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic too, experts noted.
The dream of ‘work from home’ is now a reality:
For years, employees have had one dream, which is to work from home. The year 2020 really breathed life to this lifelong dream. Some companies like Microsoft, twitter, and Infosys have also given their employees the option of working from home permanently while others like Google, Facebook, and other small businesses have extended the work from home period till late next year.
Mental health is now a priority!
The conversation around mental health was louder than ever. A number of companies have understood the need for mental health days and have been giving their employees special days off to regroup. There were numerous warnings in the early days of COVID-19 that the world might be staring at a mental health crisis. This drew attention to the predicament of those silently suffering, creating awareness and mindfulness around the topic.
Efforts to improve diversity ramped up a gear:
Efforts to improve diversity went up a notch in 2020, from the Oscars to the Booker prize, Under the new regulations, which are set to come into effect for the 2024 Oscars, entries for best picture must satisfy two of four criteria in order to be eligible. They include having storylines that focus on one of more underrepresented group, and having actors from underrepresented groups, including women, people from racial or ethnic minority groups, LGBTI or disabled people.
Kamala Harris becomes the first female vice president of the United States of America.
The presidential election of USA saw a monumental victory of Biden over Trump. But what’s really worth celebrating is that a woman of colour is now vice president and has created history which was long due in these otherwise disturbing times.
One World: Together At Home:
‘One World: Together At Home’ was a concert organized by the Global Citizen movement and the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2020 when the world was locked down.
Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, and The Rolling Stones were among the artists who came together from their living rooms to send a message to the world.
The event raised $128 million that went to the development of the coronavirus vaccine and regional charities.
CONCLUSION:
So yes, this year felt like three bad ones clubbed together but all hope wasn’t lost. It is also evident that we as a race felt more together than ever and while this may or may not have happened due to the collective feeling of doom, we say we are grateful nevertheless.
