Migrant exodus needs a human touch, Mr PM

Hari Jaisingh

Chaotic scenes as migrant workers try to leave major cities in India

It is gratifying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started reaching out to religious groups, media persons, Indian envoys overseas as the number of cases of coronavirus are showing upward trends. However, the most disturbing facet of the biggest lockdown in human history is the plight of millions of migrant workers belonging to the country's informal economy heading to their villages since they have lost their "protective umbrellas" at places of work.

Millions of construction workers, street vendors, cleaners and daily wagers hardly got four hours' time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the national lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. Since then what we have seen is an atmosphere of panic and uncertainty as lakhs of migrant workers headed for their homes in different places, including UP and Bihar. They apparently defied the stay-at-home orders while facing beatings by the police.
I don't blame the migrant workers. Was there any choice for them? For most of the migrant workers, the biggest concern was not coronavirus, but hunger and finding their next meal for sheer survival. The government and voluntary agencies are doing their best to meet the needs of food and shelter for them. Still, the range and dimension of the crisis is too big for them. A total shutdown of trains and buses prevented countless migrant workers from returning to their villages. This was actually the most disturbing aspect of the pandemic.
I often wonder why Prime Minister Modi failed to talk of their problems. Was he not briefed by his advisors about the fallout of Covid-19 on the country's poorest lot?

Army personnel distribute food packets among poor people during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Mind you, roughly 80 per cent of the country's 471-million workers belonging to the informal sector lack contracts, social security and other benefits since they are not covered under labour laws. No wonder, we see millions of workers in slums of crowded urban areas, where the fear of contracting the virus is obvious.
How come the authorities failed to anticipate certain darkest facets of the lockdown among the poor and the have-nots? It is, of course, easier to make highsounding speeches than take firm human-oriented action on the ground. I expected Prime Minister Modi to have a close look at the grassroots realities and "zero preparations" and then give clear instructions at all levels regarding proper handling of the plight of migrant workers.
It is no secret that the lockdown has left lakhs of workers in the informal sector of the economy jobless, homeless and hungry since factories, small businesses and construction sites are shut down. Thus, when the Modi government announced 21- day lockdown, these daily wage workers suddenly found themselves helpless. Also, the ban on inter-state transport forced many migrant workers to walk hundreds of kilometers for their homes without food or water. Things have gone from bad to worse as the state governments sealed the borders under the instructions from the Centre.

It is a pity that even after over 70 years of Independence, India's socio-economic situation continues to be grim . The country has surely seen a number of antipoverty programmes launched by different leaders at different times. But millions of our migrant workers are still povertystricken. The coronavirus pandemic has hit them hard .These people can't sustain themselves beyond a day or so.

The daughter of a migrant worker sleeps on a highway as her family failed to get a bus to return to their village, during the Covid-19 lockdown in New Delhi, It is a pity that even after over 70 years of Independence, India's socio-economic situation continues to be complex. The country has surely seen a number of anti-poverty programmes launched by different leaders at different times with great fanfare. But we could still see shades of poverty even among millions of our migrant workers in today's abnormal atmosphere hit by coronavirus. These people, daily wagers included, can't sustain themselves beyond a day or so. They dot the Indian landscape everywhere with their miserable existence.
Even on the streets of an otherwise affluent Delhi, we see famished mothers and pot-bellied children. I could see a question mark written on each and every face about their future. But, who cares, except stray Samaritans who give them doles or food items. Still, the only silver lining I could see on an otherwise gloomy horizon is hope – hope that the sense of freedom would one day usher in a better tomorrow.
A new dawn would certainly usher in, Modi or no Modi. I am at least happy that this hope still survives amidst on-going problems of poverty, deprivation and lopsided development efforts.
Poverty today is no longer a socio-economic phenomenon. It is entangled in politics and has become a potent weapon in the hands of political masters and their cronies. In the absence of a humanitarian face, poverty has become the most exploited commodity today.
Just look at waves of migrant workers heading for their villages. Do the authorities treat them as human beings? I doubt it. Just look at one incident at UP's Bareilly where migrant workers, who arrived from Delhi, were sprayed with sodium hydrochloride – a bleaching agent which officials admitted was "unfit for use on humans" – in a bid to sanitise them. Attributing the case to "overcautious" staff, DM Nitish Kumar said treatment be given to anybody adversely affected. Right now, the probe is on. But my regret is that there is absence of human touch in governance.
I am not questioning the official hardline on the lockdown. But, someone in the establishment has to spare a thought for the migrant workers from across various states going to their homes in the hundreds without work and food, even when borders are shut. Here I wish to quote Savitri Bai from Ambah in Madhya Pradesh who travelled from Agra: "There is nothing for us in the city. We know corona is serious. Our village is where we will be able to survive, take care of our families". (IE March 31).
Well, poverty might have been made in heaven by the incident of someone's birth in a given family. But it is sustained by man's own follies. We have even forgotten Mahatma Gandhi's saying, "God appears in the form of food". This is how I look at any crisis situation.
In our complex situation, there

Someone in the establishment must spare a thought for the migrant workers from across various states. They are without food and work. They are going back to their homes even when the borders are shut.

could be nothing like an "all-India strategy" to tackle poverty as well as coronavirus. Our problems vary from region to region and from area to area within a region; as also from district to district in a state and even from village to village in the same district. So, all that has to be attempted is to evolve a broad frame and approach with a human face.
This is what is needed most amidst varied medical and technological efforts by our "warriors in white". The job is no doubt difficult.
The Prime Minister is surely doing his job. His communication channels are put on a fast track among religious leaders, media persons and social sector.
But all that he has to seriously think about is how the fight against Covid-19 can be given a humanitarian touch among the varied groups of poverty-stricken migrant workers on the move towards the unknown future. This is where Prime Minister Modi has to think, apply his mind and evolve right attitudes and strategies to human sufferings, beyond medical care!



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT PANDEMIC EFFECTS FRANKLY SPEAKING NEW PANDEMIC REALPOLITIK PANDEMIC EFFECTS NEW PANDEMIC NEW PANDEMIC SECURITY SCENE KERALA MADHYA PRADESH J&K SCENE PAKISTAN WATCH SIGNS OF THE TIMES WATER CONSERVATION OPEC CHANDIGARH DIARY HITS & MISSES PANDEMIC EMERGENCY MEDIA SPACE ENGINEERING OUR CONSTITUTION ESSENCE OF THE GITA ART OF LIVING Issue:May' 2020 Subscribe Now	FRANKLY SPEAKING Migrant exodus needs a human touch, Mr PM Hari Jaisingh Chaotic scenes as migrant workers try to leave major cities in India It is gratifying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started reaching out to religious groups, media persons, Indian envoys overseas as the number of cases of coronavirus are showing upward trends. However, the most disturbing facet of the biggest lockdown in human history is the plight of millions of migrant workers belonging to the country's informal economy heading to their villages since they have lost their "protective umbrellas" at places of work. Millions of construction workers, street vendors, cleaners and daily wagers hardly got four hours' time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the national lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. Since then what we have seen is an atmosphere of panic and uncertainty as lakhs of migrant workers headed for their homes in different places, including UP and Bihar. They apparently defied the stay-at-home orders while facing beatings by the police. Millions of construction workers, street vendors, cleaners and daily wagers hardly got four hours' time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the national lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. Since then what we have seen is an atmosphere of panic and uncertainty as lakhs of migrant workers headed for their homes in different places, including UP and Bihar. They apparently defied the stay-at-home orders while facing beatings by the police. I don't blame the migrant workers. Was there any choice for them? For most of the migrant workers, the biggest concern was not coronavirus, but hunger and finding their next meal for sheer survival. The government and voluntary agencies are doing their best to meet the needs of food and shelter for them. Still, the range and dimension of the crisis is too big for them. A total shutdown of trains and buses prevented countless migrant workers from returning to their villages. This was actually the most disturbing aspect of the pandemic. I often wonder why Prime Minister Modi failed to talk of their problems. Was he not briefed by his advisors about the fallout of Covid-19 on the country's poorest lot? Army personnel distribute food packets among poor people during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Mind you, roughly 80 per cent of the country's 471-million workers belonging to the informal sector lack contracts, social security and other benefits since they are not covered under labour laws. No wonder, we see millions of workers in slums of crowded urban areas, where the fear of contracting the virus is obvious. How come the authorities failed to anticipate certain darkest facets of the lockdown among the poor and the have-nots? It is, of course, easier to make highsounding speeches than take firm human-oriented action on the ground. I expected Prime Minister Modi to have a close look at the grassroots realities and "zero preparations" and then give clear instructions at all levels regarding proper handling of the plight of migrant workers. It is no secret that the lockdown has left lakhs of workers in the informal sector of the economy jobless, homeless and hungry since factories, small businesses and construction sites are shut down. Thus, when the Modi government announced 21- day lockdown, these daily wage workers suddenly found themselves helpless. Also, the ban on inter-state transport forced many migrant workers to walk hundreds of kilometers for their homes without food or water. Things have gone from bad to worse as the state governments sealed the borders under the instructions from the Centre. It is a pity that even after over 70 years of Independence, India's socio-economic situation continues to be grim . The country has surely seen a number of antipoverty programmes launched by different leaders at different times. But millions of our migrant workers are still povertystricken. The coronavirus pandemic has hit them hard .These people can't sustain themselves beyond a day or so. The daughter of a migrant worker sleeps on a highway as her family failed to get a bus to return to their village, during the Covid-19 lockdown in New Delhi, It is a pity that even after over 70 years of Independence, India's socio-economic situation continues to be complex. The country has surely seen a number of anti-poverty programmes launched by different leaders at different times with great fanfare. But we could still see shades of poverty even among millions of our migrant workers in today's abnormal atmosphere hit by coronavirus. These people, daily wagers included, can't sustain themselves beyond a day or so. They dot the Indian landscape everywhere with their miserable existence. Even on the streets of an otherwise affluent Delhi, we see famished mothers and pot-bellied children. I could see a question mark written on each and every face about their future. But, who cares, except stray Samaritans who give them doles or food items. Still, the only silver lining I could see on an otherwise gloomy horizon is hope – hope that the sense of freedom would one day usher in a better tomorrow. A new dawn would certainly usher in, Modi or no Modi. I am at least happy that this hope still survives amidst on-going problems of poverty, deprivation and lopsided development efforts. Poverty today is no longer a socio-economic phenomenon. It is entangled in politics and has become a potent weapon in the hands of political masters and their cronies. In the absence of a humanitarian face, poverty has become the most exploited commodity today. Just look at waves of migrant workers heading for their villages. Do the authorities treat them as human beings? I doubt it. Just look at one incident at UP's Bareilly where migrant workers, who arrived from Delhi, were sprayed with sodium hydrochloride – a bleaching agent which officials admitted was "unfit for use on humans" – in a bid to sanitise them. Attributing the case to "overcautious" staff, DM Nitish Kumar said treatment be given to anybody adversely affected. Right now, the probe is on. But my regret is that there is absence of human touch in governance. I am not questioning the official hardline on the lockdown. But, someone in the establishment has to spare a thought for the migrant workers from across various states going to their homes in the hundreds without work and food, even when borders are shut. Here I wish to quote Savitri Bai from Ambah in Madhya Pradesh who travelled from Agra: "There is nothing for us in the city. We know corona is serious. Our village is where we will be able to survive, take care of our families". (IE March 31). Well, poverty might have been made in heaven by the incident of someone's birth in a given family. But it is sustained by man's own follies. We have even forgotten Mahatma Gandhi's saying, "God appears in the form of food". This is how I look at any crisis situation. In our complex situation, there Someone in the establishment must spare a thought for the migrant workers from across various states. They are without food and work. They are going back to their homes even when the borders are shut. could be nothing like an "all-India strategy" to tackle poverty as well as coronavirus. Our problems vary from region to region and from area to area within a region; as also from district to district in a state and even from village to village in the same district. So, all that has to be attempted is to evolve a broad frame and approach with a human face. This is what is needed most amidst varied medical and technological efforts by our "warriors in white". The job is no doubt difficult. The Prime Minister is surely doing his job. His communication channels are put on a fast track among religious leaders, media persons and social sector. But all that he has to seriously think about is how the fight against Covid-19 can be given a humanitarian touch among the varied groups of poverty-stricken migrant workers on the move towards the unknown future. This is where Prime Minister Modi has to think, apply his mind and evolve right attitudes and strategies to human sufferings, beyond medical care!