Why in news?
Migrant workers, who constitute about 50% of the urban population and many of whom are engaged in what are called “3D jobs” (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) are likely to face job and livelihood crisis owing to COVID-19 pandemic, according to findings of a research.
Details of how grave the situation is?
- The pandemic saw one of the biggest streams of mass return migration in the country.
- Lockdown has left about 42% with no ration and 33% were stuck in cities with no access to food, water, and money. As many as 94% of them did not have worker’s identity card.
- When migrants flee from the city, they not only lose their livelihood but possibly carry the infections to their native places, noted the study.
- India is likely to face job crisis because of COVID-19. Migrant workers and workers in the informal sector are likely to be badly hit.
- A large number of migrant workers and workers in the informal sector just have been surviving on subsistence wages.
- The Current lockdown may also affect hugely their food and nutritional intake, access to healthcare and education of children.
- Following lack of their inclusion in urban society, workers were grossly denied access to social security schemes, healthcare and other entitlements.
- Many schemes meant for the poor do not reach them due to lack of identity and residential proofs.
