-The Indian Express As we grapple with a health, economic and humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, the immediate need is to provide emergency relief to cushion the effects of the dual shocks of the virus and lockdown on informal workers. COVID-19 is causing havoc across the world, destroying both lives and livelihoods. Developing countries such as India are particularly vulnerable as their vast informal workforce, which has no labour, social or health...
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From Health and Harassment to Income Security and Loans, India's Gig Workers Need Support -Zothan Mawii, Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon
-TheWire.in Nearly two weeks ago, news broke that a Zomato delivery worker tested positive for COVID-19 in New Delhi. As many as 72 families in the south Delhi neighbourhood where he made deliveries have been quarantined, along with 17 other people he worked with. With the luxury of social distancing not extended to delivery workers, the incident further fuelled the apprehensions and uncertainties that they already were contending with. This was only...
More »'We Are in a Crisis': Fear of Uncertain Employment, Livelihood Grips Migrant and Sex Workers -Anusha Chandrasekharan
-TheWire.in “If they [sex workers] are ready to risk their lives by throwing social distancing to the wind and risk police beatings, does it not show how desperate they are for food?” said a sex worker. New Delhi: “We cannot even complain against the violence that has been meted out against us,” said Rohini Chhari, an activist working with members of nomadic and denotified tribes in Morena, Madhya Pradesh. “Because the government...
More »Lacking in transparency -Suvrat Raju
-The Hindu Citizens must keep themselves informed and push the government to adopt scientific and people-oriented policies The lockdown of the country has had a devastating social impact. A recent survey of internal migrant workers found that 42% did not even have a day’s worth of rations left. The situation in the agricultural sector is also grim. Soon after the lockdown commenced, the Prime Minister apologised for the misery that his decision had...
More »Jean Drèze, noted economist and social activist, interviewed by GS Vasu (The New Indian Express)
-The New Indian Express Holding migrants where they are is a bad idea, even from the point of view of containing the coronavirus crisis, says economist Jean Dreze in a wide-ranging interview with our Editor GS Vasu. HYDERABAD: With under a week to go for the present lockdown to end, it is an indisputable fact that thousands of migrant workers are stuck in cities across India, unable to get home. Continuing to...
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