Penniless, without food and means with their fatigued children in their laps or shoulders, they were not passeggiating but sauntering for survival. Rustic men, women and children were seen walking en masse on the highways. Stupefied but determined, they had a sole aim in their minds. They wanted to reach home in their villages far away from their workplaces where they had come to earn a livelihood.
Soon after the lockdown was enforced in wake of Coronavirus pandemic, panic gripped the migratory population of labourers. Their jobs were lost and livelihood had gone. It is the class of people who earn their bread daily. Losing jobs meant a lot; it left them in a lurch. Caught in a piquant situation, they had to choose between the devil and the deep sea. In the crisis, employers abandoned them. They were sacked as there was no work for them. Left with no succedaneum, they decided to return to their home. It was spontaneous. Rumours fuelled the fear for their lives and uncertainty of the future. Parochial motives of local politics catalyzed the fear. Unexpected hostile conditions forced them to return. The result first came in the form of large aggregation in Anand Vihar at New Delhi. It was followed by several other such occurrences which soon became torrent.
Millions of poor people, mainly from Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, migrate to other states in search of jobs and a better future. These are the rainfed areas with agriculture as the prime occupation. Reeling under severe conditions, low income, high crime rate and caste discrimination, the Hindi heartland could provide them with no better future. Once known for industries and hub of handicrafts, the state of Uttar Pradesh gradually slipped to oblivion. Districts like Jagdeeshpur, Kanpur, Meerut, Aligarh lost their industries. The large workforce became unemployed. The constricting land holdings, uncertain weather, perennial floods, local conditions and lack of alternate job opportunities compounded the problems and force the youths to migrate. Leaving their families behind, the people travelled thousands of kilometres to states like Maharastra, Gujrat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
The migrant workers, mostly unskilled, constitute an easy and cheap labour force. Primarily they are employed in sectors like construction, transport, brick kilns and small satellite industrial units on a casual basis. In the hope of sending a substantial amount to their homes, they tend to spend less; work in tiring conditions and live in shades near their workplace. Devoid of any government-run provision store they use to take necessary groceries from local shops. Supposed ‘Truncus Aorta’ of the economy, these hardworking people suffer a lot because of their exploitation. The absence of effective legislation convoluted the situation and compounded the woes of the unorganised migrant workforce who are subjected to enslavement and low wages. Though to safeguard the interests of migrant workers ‘Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1979’ was passed and enacted but in all practicality, the Act is defunct and not being observed. Their hesitance to remain there and eagerness to leave their workplace permanently would create a void which may hamper the pace of economy of the place/state they were in. The readiness of the respective home state governments to accept their people with work would lead to a paradigm shift. Politicos of states like Maharastra may feel the brunt whose parochial engine was powered by the fuel of regional hatred, hostility and abusive behaviour. The opposition of exodus was also reported.
The lockdown taught them a harsh lesson. They did not grumble nor had any complaints. They simply wanted to reach their homes which only could provide them shelter, food, security and emotional support. Without caring for their safety, food requirements and long distances they peregrinate with headloads and infants tucked in their laps. To ease and help the moving migrants, people from all walks of life came forward. Cooked food and shelter were provided to them on their way. It is heartening that the central government, in consultation with state governments, took steps which helped migratory labourers reaching their homes. ‘Shramik Special’ trains were started. Under strict ‘Social Distancing’ norms, the labourers were transported to the stations near to their homes. The government categorically made it clear that the labourers need not pay for their journey. The expenditure was borne by the central and state governments on a sharing basis; 85 per cent of the expenditure was to be borne by the central government while 15 per cent by the respective state governments.
The respective home states chalked out a system to provide them with a job. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi government worked on it. An action plan was formulated in this direction. Talking to ‘The New Indian Express’ (03-May-2020) Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aditya Nath expressed confidence and said, “Today, we are in a position to provide immediate employment to 15 lakh people in the state and it is the responsibility of my government to provide them jobs.” Answering a question he further said, “We do have a challenge in hand but there are options galore. At present, we have made doorstep delivery arrangements all over the state during the lockdown. Through this, we have provided direct and indirect employment to more than 1.5 lakh people. MNREGA, MSME, ODOP (one district one product) and voluntary organizations are options through which we will give employment to them.” (Complete interview can be read here.) These steps augmented the morale of workers of the state who hope to get work in their state.
Coronavirus pandemic is a menace. The number of corona cases is still on the rise. As of now, 1532135 coronavirus cases and 34224 deaths have been reported in India. This is harrowing. The curative/preventive drug/shot has yet to be evolved. The work is on. Some countries have progressed considerably in this direction. Working on monoclonal technique, Israel has claimed that they are testing the evolved vaccine on rodents. However, it is a time taking process. Until then, ‘Social Distancing’ through lockdown is the only effective weapon to fight Coronavirus pandemic. However, it has its limitation. The country is under lockdown since 25-March-2020. The halted economic activities pushed the system to the brink. Governments are running out of funds. With halted revenue generation the state governments find it difficult to pay salaries to their staff and run machinery. Urging the central government to relax lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Mr Arvind Kejariwal had opined that Coronavirus was going to stay and we should learn to live with it. The recent relaxation on liquor sale was a means to generate revenue, though the step received criticism all over the country. The ugly scene on hooch shops and the public behaviour was pathetic. The norm of ‘Social Distancing’ was seriously flouted. The police had to intervene and even the liquor sale was closed down.
The lockdown, though is an effective means to break the chain of Corona spread, cannot be imposed for long. The government has phasically lifted it and a large number of movements and commercial activities have been allowed, with some restrictions albeit.
The days are difficult but, hopefully, things would turn out better. The battle against Coronavirus is still on. Care and caution are effective weapons to combat the dreaded enemy. Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi has cautioned the people time and again to observe the cautions. Appealing the people to put on masks when in public places he emphasised to avoid crowds and maintain distance. He urged to remember Corona warriors who used to put on masks for long hours in case we long to take it out in his recent 'Man Ki Baat' program. As of now, it is the only way out. India, hopefully, would have a vaccine in a few months. The public trial of the vaccine has been started. By that time, it is incumbent upon the people to observe the norms and care.
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