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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India's Large Informal Workforce Must Be Prioritised in Our COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy -Divya Ravindranath and Vikas Kumar

India's Large Informal Workforce Must Be Prioritised in Our COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy -Divya Ravindranath and Vikas Kumar

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published Published on Jun 1, 2021   modified Modified on Jun 1, 2021

-TheWire.in

Informal workers are less likely to be vaccinated due to multiple barriers in the existing vaccination framework.

The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdowns have had a devastating impact on India’s informal sector, which employs a vast majority of the country’s workforce. Even as India struggles to extend vaccine coverage amid severe shortage and a deadly second wave, it is critical that this process prioritises the millions of informal workers who are at risk of exposure to the virus and also face loss of livelihoods.

While healthcare workers and other frontline workers were inoculated in the initial drives in January and February this year, at present, the eligibility for vaccination is based on age. Given the acute shortage, most states continue to prioritise those above 45 years. Aside from poor planning hampering its production, India’s flawed strategy to inoculate its population is driven by technology. This approach has excluded millions of informal workers from the vaccination drive.  

It is estimated that approximately 70% of the urban workforce is employed informally, including migrant workers. The precarious nature of their work exposes informal workers to unsafe work conditions that increases their risk of exposure to COVID-19. Given the density of and lack of isolation facilities where workers live and work, containing the risk of transmission is a challenge.

Informal workers such as those who work at construction sites or garment factories are known to have other co-morbidities like tuberculosis, which makes them even more susceptible to the virus. If infected, they do not have recourse to paid leave, social protection or health benefits that are available to workers in formal employment. Yet, they continue to work as they cannot afford wage loss nor are they able to work from home.

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TheWire.in, 1 June, 2021, https://thewire.in/rights/our-large-informal-workforce-must-be-prioritised-in-our-covid-19-vaccine-strategy


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