Civil society and COVID-19 pandemic in Nagaland: Response in a Democratic Society

Civil society plays a very constructive role in a society especially in times of a pandemic. The paper explores the role of civil societies in responding to COVID-19 pandemic in Nagaland. The whole state has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since early August-October 2020. Preliminary findings exhibits that civil societies played a vital role in providing emergency services, funding, volunteering, mutual aid, in-kind donations, and even policy advocacy. This article highlights that despite the state government with its limited resources was able to keep the pandemic crisis under control due to the active support and participation of civil societies. As respective civil societies within their own areas came forward in providing essential food and services to the most vulnerable sections of society which got affected the most by the imposition of total and partial lockdowns. This article suggests that the role of civil societies should not be overlooked in the context of pandemic management.