-TheWire.in The momentary attention to the Migrant Exodus was overshadowed by other spectacles that were easily perceived as communal, suited to deflect attention and which positioned the state as proactive. We live in a society that significantly values media spectacles. Spread of disease, risk of contagion, and the plight of migrant labourers become worthy of attention only when a spectacle is made. The representations of migrant’s transit and associated tribulation have emerged...
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Excess stocks of the Food Corporation of India must be released to the poor -Jean Drèze
-The Indian Express Jean Dreze writes: Releasing food is all the more crucial as the emergency cash transfers proposed by the finance minister are likely to have severe limitations. How would you feel if a family were to let its weakest members starve, even as the house’s granary is full to the brim? That is what is happening in India today. Everyone knows that the country has large food stocks, and that some...
More »What Does the COVID-19 Lockdown Mean for Food Security? -Gurpreet Singh
-TheWire.in At a time when the Rabi crop is ready for harvest and the Kharif crop will be sown, quick and effective policy responses are required. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, India has announced a nationwide 21-day lockdown, shutting down all businesses except essential services. The government has assured that the supply of food items and other necessities won’t be hindered during this period. While social distancing has been adopted as a measure...
More »Sudden Lockdown and Unfolding of an Immense Tragedy -Prabhat Patnaik
-Newsclick.in With the Centre being both niggardly and thoughtless in the matter of relief following the unplanned lockdown, state governments, which are desperately short of funds, will be left holding the baby. The tragic irony could not have been more complete. The country is under lockdown, but last week thousands of migrant workers were thronging bus stands or marching on the roads, making a mockery of it; the aim of the lockdown...
More »Noida’s migrant worker exodus is more about their notions of ‘home’ than coronavirus: Study -Nilotpal Kumar and Ritanjan Das
-ThePrint.in Our research in Noida for the past two years shows many poor migrant workers do not think of city of work as their home. They are treated as outsiders and live in cramped spaces. Thousands of migrant workers began walking home from Delhi and adjoining areas of the NCR within just a few days of the 21-day coronavirus lockdown, alarming the central and state governments. They ignored calls to stay put...
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