The incidents that unfolded at Bandra West suggest that the gross insensitiveness of both the central and state governments towards the crisis facing migrant workers has finally reached its tipping point. Thousands of workers took to the streets immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the Coronavirus induced nationwide lockdown.
Considering the eventual extension has figured in discussions for over two weeks prior to the announcement, one can’t help but ask: why, knowing very well the workers’ plight the government willingly glossed over the issue? Why could they not utilise this time to prepare for the transport of the workers? Or worse still, are the discomforts and the problems of the unorganised sector of no importance to the ruling parties?
Another problem that haunts society, is the spread of fake news as if it is competing with the coronavirus in terms of its rate of proliferation. A single piece of unsubstantiated news drove thousands of people on to the streets of Mumbai, regardless of the lockdown curbs, police posts and above all, the risk of contracting the virus. The unstoppable forwarding of messages has finally reared its ugly head. All of this undermines the seriousness of the state of affairs and one could even say that we are now facing the risk of citizens lowering their social responsibility. Another instance is that of the fake bus services for the migrant workers in Delhi. The work was spread of the Bihar Government sending free bus services for the workers and upon reaching the place, money was extorted from these workers. One could only imagine the plight of a hungry migrant worker with little to no money left to survive. Using this to one’s own advantage and to profit off of a worker’s distress and facing barely any punishment is what continues to encourage the spread of these falsities. This has ultimately lead to the country facing a humanitarian crisis beyond the pandemic.
It could very well be argued that travel is of the least importance, considering the gravity of the situation in the country. The efforts of the government over the last one month would be in vain in case, the railways operated even for 24 hours. The already terrorising pandemic would know no bounds and the situation would be well out of anyone’s hands. Considering this, the bare minimum that could be done is to provide adequate shelter and resources to these migrant workers who are crammed in makeshift shelters with unstable roofs and unclean bathrooms which would bring more diseases than prevent any. Social distancing, which the Centre and state governments preach sounds hollow if one looks at the conditions in which migrant workers are ‘sheltered.’
States would well to follow the footsteps of Kerala which accounts for 65% of the shelters for migrant workers in the country. Alongside testing for the virus, the state has made providing food for these workers a top priority. The state dishes out food every day for over 54 lakh migrant workers. The state has been taking active steps to ensure that essentials are personally sent out to each and every household ensuring that there is no further spread of the virus. The government took active measures to guarantee that these migrant workers or ‘guest workers’ as they refer to them as do not have to pay any rent in their places of residence along with free food. The success of their work is seen in an interview of Rashid Ahmed, a migrant worker from Assam who feels staying in Kerala would be far wiser. The migrant workers have been made to feel at home because if the government has to ensure that the pandemic is controlled while no person suffers, they have to think of all; not merely their residents.
There is undoubtedly, an unprecedented challenge at hand. And at times like this, it is easy to lose sight of who it is, that really needs help. The states cannot afford to forget that, these workers who are living in deplorable conditions, thousands of kilometres from their homes are heroes, alongside everyone who is sacrificing their comforts for the wellness of society. Providing them with decent facilities is essential to let them know in the darkest hour of their lives, they are not alone. This is the least any government can do for them. The pandemic has brought out the predicament of the migrant workers like never before. For the first time in recent years, there is an acknowledgement of the wrongs that have been done to the class that holds the country’s unorganised sector together. Once the dust settles, it is not the IT sector sitting in an AC room that will build the economy back, it is these migrant workers and the workers of the unorganised sector that would do so. India has always been strengthened by its rural population; the government must use this as an opportunity to empower this population once again. Only when this is done, would the country develop and not merely grow.
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