migrant workers

The pandemic has hit everyone in the city hard, from those who cremate the dead to those who depend on pilgrims and tourists.

A strong economy cannot be built on weak foundations, especially where human resources are concerned. If and when we return to normal life, how will we treat the ones who toil away at the bottom of the pyramid in India?

With the Centre’s new guidelines to slowly kickstart the economy, Odisha, too, has announced partial lockdown relaxation. But the problems that formal and informal sectors here face now is representative of what all states will have to tackle post May 3rd.

Interstate migrant workers form the backbone of the local economy, yet they have long been a faceless, voiceless community suffering due to hopelessly inadequate social security and class discrimination. The human crisis created by the coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdown is just the manifestation of these deep-rooted issues.

Despite the crucial role they play in the city, efforts to improve the living conditions of Dehradun’s waste pickers — mostly migrants — have been minimal and they continue to live in unsafe conditions, with little or no assistance from the Municipal Corporation.

Mumbai, they say, is a melting pot, a city of equal opportunities. But do identities of caste, gender, religion really get fused in the underbelly of the city? Or do they impact the lives of those who live there? A recent research project in a Goregaon slum throws some light on this.

Around 8 lakh workers from Odisha, after strenuous shifts in Surat’s powerlooms, stay in rotation in crowded rooms, amid power cuts, scarce water, filth and noise. Illnesses are common, as are stress and alcoholism.