Question

write an article on the plight of migrant labourers amid covid 19 lock down : hint
→ how labourers are coping with unemployment
→ displacement issues faced by them and their families
plz answer this question

Answer 1

Answer:

In an unfortunate incident reported on April 21, a 12-year-old child died after walking over 100 kilometres from her workplace in Bhupalpally district of Telangana to her native village in Chattisgarh’s Bijapur district. She was 11 kilometres away from home. At any other point in time, this may seem an extreme episode or an anomaly. But not today, when there have been far too many disturbing images and reports of millions of migrants walking back to their homes after a nationwide lockdown came into force in March.

The mass exodus of migrants from our cities has raised concerns over an impending economic crisis: What will happen to industries that are dependent on them for labour? While this articulation can be leveraged to bring attention to the plight of migrant workers, who have thus far been rendered invisible in our cities, such an economic focus could eclipse the needs of vulnerable groups who are not ‘economically productive’. Children of migrant families are one such vulnerable group.

So far, there has been a limited assessment or understanding of the implications that the COVID-19 lockdown has had on them. We present the case of three groups of children – those left behind, those who migrate with their parents, and those engaged in employment – that are likely to be most affected by the ongoing crisis.

The first group consists of children left behind in the villages by parent(s) who undertake employment elsewhere. They are dependent on remittances sent back home. This money is critical to their food security and to support healthcare expenditure. While there is no estimation on the number of children left behind, a guiding proxy is that approximately 10% of rural households in India receive remittances. In several parts of the country, remittances are the primary source of income for the sustenance of families. The reduction or elimination of parents’ wages will have immediate effects on food intake and health outcomes of children.