Migrant Crisis: COVID 19

MIGRANT CRISIS: COVID 19

COVID 19:-

Coronavirus are a large family of respiratory viruses, known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The current outbreak has been caused by a strain of coronavirus that had not previously  detected anywhere in the world before the outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

To prevent the spread of covid-19, state and local governments enacted lockdown,  numerous restrictions on human movement and physical interactions.

Migrant workers:-

Migrant workers consists majorly of daily-wage labourers working in the manufacturing and construction industries. They are often denied adequate healthcare, nutrition, housing and sanitation, since many of them work in the informal sector. They are mostly from rural areas but live in cities for work for most of the year.

According to research published in the Royal Geographical Society, the workers who have been treated the worst are from areas like Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, in which the indigenous populations natural resources were extracted by outsiders. Further, workers paid the least for the hardest work belong to the background classes, mainly from the Dalit and the Adivasi communities. The research also indicated that the families of the migrant workers supported them by maintaining their houses and taking care of them,  either when seasonal work is unavailable or when they are no longer able to work. 

IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON MIGRANTS IN INDIA:- 

We have seen the significant economic impact of the coronavirus on financial markets and vulnerable industries such as manufacturing, tourism,  hospitality and travel. This, in turn, affect many people, typically the least well paid and those self- employed on working in informal environments in the gig economy or in part- time work with zero Hour contracts.

The lockdown has severey impacted migrants, several of whom lost their jobs due to shutting of industries and were stranded outside their native places wanting to get back. Millions of migrant workers had to deal with the loss of income, food shortages and uncertainty about their future.

There are an estimated 139 million migrants in the country, according to the World Economic Forum. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) predicted that due to the pandemic and the lockdown, about 400 million workers would be poverty-stricken. Most migrants in the state originated from Uttar Pradesh in Bihar, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The cities of Mumbai and Delhi attract the highest number of migrants. While most men migrate for work, women migrate due to marriage.

Maharashtra government imposed lockdown 20 March in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Nagpur, leaving the migrant workers with no work. Thousands then gathered at the train and bus stations,  seeking transport to their hometown.  With the nationwide lockdown, all transport facilities were closed.

DIFFICULTIES MIGRANT FACED:-

▪︎Food shortages:-

According to government reports, there was enough food grain stocked up in the FCI godowns to feed the poor for at least a year-and-a-half. The 1distribution system failed to be effective as the ration cards are area-specific and fair price shops were largely inaccessible. Additionally, the 'One Nation, One Ration Card' system has been implemented in very few states, as of mid April. While the scheme allowed migrant workers to retrieve foodgrains for free anywhere across the country, very few were aware of the scheme. In addition to this, the scheme also required biometric authentication, which was discontinued due to fears of spreading the virus through common fingerprint sensors.

As such, many were left without food and money due to the lockdown. A survey published by ‘The Hindu’ states that 96% migrant workers did not get rations from the government. 

▪︎Transport arrangements:-

According to the Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN), migrants were confused about the exact procedures to register themselves for travel. Additionally, many state registration portals were either in English or the local language of the states they lived in, which very few migrants could understand. Further, general lack of information from the government to the migrants had resulted in them paying large sums of money to register themselves.

Buses:-

As of 23 May 40 lakh migrants had travelled to their homes by buses. Condition in the buses is generally poor, with social distancing being impossible due to overcrowding and higher fares being charged than promised.

Trains:-

The central government permitted the Indian Railways to launch "Shramik Special" trains for the migrant workers and others stranded.

Migrants faced many hardships while travelling by these trains. Many reported to have no food and water arranged for them while they travelled. A train from Goa to Manipur reported a 58-hour delay, no proper food or sanitation facilities on the train, and stone pelting. Others who received food packets and water reported that the provisions were simply dumped at the entrances, leaving workers fighting with each other for their share. Some migrants also died during the train journeys.

▪︎MIGRANT DIFFICULTIES:-

Many were arrested for violating the lockdown, after being caught at inter-state borders, forests between states and even on boats to cross rivers. Some of the migrants died of exhaustion. Others died in accidents on the roads after walking or hiding in vehicles. On 31 March, as many as 120 migrant workers were allegedly beaten up by the police in Gujarat forcefully rounded up in a single lorry and dropped in Maharashtra, despite being wounded. In Aurangabad, 16 migrants were killed on 8 May after a freight train ran over them while they were sleeping on the tracks, exhausted from walking. 26 migrants were killed in an accident between two trucks carrying migrants in Auraiya on 16 May.

▪︎Problem migrant faced at their hometown:-

Upon their return to their hometowns and villages, they were treated with either fear or a "class bias", being hosed down with disinfectants or soap solution in some cases. Migrant workers who decided to stay back during the exodus faced assault from their neighbours, who accused them of being infected with coronavirus.They were feared to be carrying coronavirus from the urban areas where they had been employed. They faced assault and harassment from the people of their hometowns. Since many of them belonged to the lower castes, they had to face caste slurs. Thousands got into property disputes.