Covid Impact Sees Even Middle Class Indians Queuing For Rations

The staple was among items the 35-year-old and her husband could no longer afford after they both first lost work when India's capital New Delhi went into lockdown in March last year.

Chanchal Devi's three children haven't tasted milk for almost a year. The staple was among items the 35-year-old and her husband could no longer afford after they both first lost work when India's capital New Delhi went into lockdown in March last year. Their distress deepened after this April due to a surge in Covid-19 infections. They're now borrowing money to buy food and must watch their school-aged kids eat less, often going to bed on empty stomachs. "I can't sleep at nights," said Chanchal from her home in Lal Gumbad Basti, a neighborhood of migrant workers about 20 minutes away from the nation's parliament. "I'm so tired of worrying about arranging the next meal." Families like Chanchal's - two wage earners with some savings, living in rented accommodation - are among legions of Indians who saw their economic toehold ripped away in lockdowns over the last 12 months. More than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May alone at the height of a devastating wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums, according to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy.