-Down to Earth The workers reportedly began their journey on March 23, 2020, with some accompanied by their wives, children Thousands of migrant workers in Gujarat are undertaking long journeys to their native villages on foot. The workers, mostly tribals, travelled upwards of 250 kilometres, in the absence of public transport. Migrant workers are forced to take this step after the Union government initiated a janata (people’s) curfew and subsequently, a 21-day...
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The age of the neoliberal virus -Tabish Khair
-The Hindu In their response to the pandemic, countries have hardly evinced concern about the health and well-being of workers The coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease is the first neoliberal virus in the world. To say so is not to reduce its dangers — particularly to the already vulnerable, such as the old, the ill or the poor (who cannot isolate without starving) — but to criticise how it has been...
More »A pandemic, an economic blow and the big fix -Praveen Chakravarty
-The Hindu A package for Rs. 5-lakh crore-₹6-lakh crore targeted across different sections of society and the economy, is feasible India has just finished a day of curfew and clapping to practise ‘social distancing’ and to express gratitude to the millions of health and essential services workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a laudable initiative by the Prime Minister to rally the nation together. The nation is truly at war, as...
More »COVID-19: As migrant workers return home, how different states are feeling the pinch -Vishnu Varma , Rahul V Pisharody , Janardhan Koushik & Tora Agarwala
-The Indian Express With 49 active infection cases and over 50,000 people under home quarantine as of Sunday, the Kerala's health system is under considerable duress and is bending over backwards to meet daily needs. Any added pressure will cause the system to collapse. Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi: Roshid Ahmed has an almost odd, rational way of looking at the situation. “If God wills me to get the virus, I may get it…it...
More »Civil society group calls for strengthening of social security and public health delivery systems in Jharkhand in the wake of coronavirus disease outbreak
-Press note by Right to Food Campaign (Jharkhand) dated 21st March, 2020 As the coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads, a double crisis looms over Jharkhand: a health crisis and an economic crisis. Already, unemployed migrant workers are returning en masse from different states, including some (e.g. Maharashtra) with many coronavirus cases. Food vendors are losing business, and more occupations are likely to be hit as economic activity slows down. As more and more...
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