NEW DELHI: As many 62.5 percent Indians across various groups — social, income, age, education, religion and gender — said they have ration/medicine etc. or money for the same for less than three weeks, according to the IANS C-Voter COVID Tracker”s Index of Panic.

A total of 37.5 percent of people in India said they are prepared for these essentials for more than three weeks.

This data gains significance as the country is moving closer to the end of the 21-day lockdown to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and a consensus is building among state governments to extend the lockdown for two more weeks.

According to the survey, people in the lower-income and education groups are most vulnerable where the majority of people, in a 70:30 split, do not have enough resources to last beyond three weeks.

The trend of the survey indicates that the low income groups and those belonging to the lower social strata do not have enough to take care of their families, while the middle income groups have resources at disposal to tide over the three-week period.

Only the higher income groups have sufficient resources to sustain beyond three weeks.

As much as 55 percent of people in urban India are well stocked with essential items and have money to sustain for less than three weeks. The rural and semi-urban people — a shade above 65 percent — say they have enough resources to survive for three weeks.