No govt. aid for lockdown-hit while voluntary effort is focused on health
The Hindu
This time around, there is hardly any attention on unorganised sector and daily wagers who have lost livelihood and their basic sustenance needs
In the midst of the pandemic that has brought the medical infrastructure on its knees, issues of livelihood seem to have taken a backseat. While help had poured in for the underprivileged from many quarters during the 2020 lockdown, the two-week shutdown this year is expected to be tough as most philanthropic enterprises are now focused on providing medical help. The government, meanwhile, has not made any commitment to the unorganised sector and daily wagers. The vulnerable section had received 10 kg of rice per person, which was two months’ quota, at one go soon after the lockdown was announced in 2020. The State had announced an one-time payment of ₹5,000. This time around, there has been little expected from the State. The Karnataka State Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Board does not have the financial strength to bail this section out. In the midst of the crisis, changes brought in to the public distribution system (PDS) on the quantum of rice to be issued (down to 2 kg) has added to the problem. “Health crisis has become the focus over food. It is also a nightmare under the current pandemic situation to set up a community kitchen or bring people together to pack and deliver dry ration kits since there is no guarantee of a bed available for volunteers if one turns positive,” said Nalini Shekar of Hasiru Dala. Her organisation that had supported about 50,000 people through campaigns earlier has restricted it to 6,000 families without BPL cards during this second wave.More Related News
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