-Vikalp.ind.in The unprecedented fear of Covid-19 leading to ‘social distancing’ through lockdown in the entire India has yet again unfolded the plight of informal sector workers even in the midst of a universal public health crisis worldwide. The lockdown, for a huge number of informal sector workers is associated with the loss of livelihood; but for others engaged in low-valued essential works such as home delivery, scavenging and cleaning the society,...

-The Indian Express Harsh Mander writes: The Indian government found it fit to charter planes with medical staff to fly in migrants from other countries. But it felt no responsibility at all to the millions of migrants stranded without work and food in every corner of the country. I won’t die of corona. Before that, I will surely die of hunger”. I heard this lament more than a dozen times from different...

-OutlookIndia.com On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India was entering a lockdown for the next three weeks, adding it was the only way to contain the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. About two weeks ago, when suggestions for a nationwide lockdown started coming in, the biggest concern was the survival of India's daily wage labourers and construction workers, who live from hand to mouth. On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra...

-The Indian Express An official in Ranchi said about 3,000-4,000 people reached the city on an average every day over the past week on the Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express. Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi: From Jharkhand to Bihar and West Bengal, governments scrambled Monday to cope with the return of thousands of migrant workers from cities and states as far away as Kerala amid an unprecedented 10-day Shutdown of rail and inter-state bus services to contain...

-The Hindu Support becomes critical as thousands of migrant workers return to villages The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme has been officially shut down in at least seven States, while it is effectively closed in many more, as COVID-19 lockdowns come into effect across the country. Workers’ collectives are demanding relief in the form of wages during the Shutdown, payment of pending dues, and extension of the scheme in...