Migrant Crisis in India - A Response

Source: PTI photo/file

A migrant worker is a person who moves to another state or area to find employment, whether seasonal/temporary work or permanent. Let's not forget that they are an essential part of the majority workforce of our economy. In the words of the International Labour Organisation, "Migrant workers contribute to the economies of their host countries, and the remittances they send home help to boost the economies of their countries of origin." Yet, migrant workers often benefit from inadequate social protection and are vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. But, this article is mainly about the migrants who travel for work within India (Domestic Migration).

The WHO announced the corona crisis on 30th January 2020 and again on 11th February 2020 it pronounced it as COVID-19 pandemic. Our government had enough time (45-50 days) to take necessary measures for the migrant workers before announcing the lockdown. Our Prime Minister's first speech and subsequent ones were full of complex dramatic statements and filled with weighty yet trivial Hindi words while only 44% of the population speaks Hindi. I am envious of the citizens of other developing countries where deaf interpreters accompany any public notice speech or address to the nation. We will discuss this issue probably in the future. After 40 days of an ordeal for the countrymen, our respected PM came out with the final contentless speech, which became a subject of large scale ridicule. It was a critical time for the common folks and the industry, but he passed on the baton to the finance minister, who became a scapegoat in front of the news-hungry media.

The FM's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has not only faced criticism from the business experts and entrepreneurs in India but also are called out for their frivolousness by economists across the globe. "The internal and external migrants, together, pose a refugee crisis that India is ill-prepared for" May 19, 2020, By Harish Pullanoor Co-editor, Quartz.

The INR 20 Lakh crore package announced, which is claimed to be 10% of our GDP but the financial analysts have entirely different conclusions. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special economic package, expected to generate economic benefits equivalent to 10 percent of GDP, is likely to cost the government not even 1 percent of GDP. The huge difference between the benefits and the actual cost is due to the non-material benefits such as bank guarantees and permissions given in the major announcements. The total policy support of Atmanirbhar Bharat stands at nearly Rs 11 lakh crore, with a direct fiscal impact of mere Rs 1 lakh crore (0.5% of GDP). With this, the overall economic package stands at mere 0.8 percent of GDP", said Madhavi Arora, Economist, Edelweiss.

A report by Barclays also highlighted that the government’s fiscal support programme, which sums up to Rs 21 lakh crore including Rs 8 lakh crore of measures announced by RBI, will make the actual fiscal impact of only Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which is 0.75 percent of GDP.

Approximately 27% of our unemployed population and our quintessential neglected migrant labourers need to get the most essential attention. There can be no doubt over the fact that migrant labourers crisis is the result of government apathy. Millions of individuals are in dire need of support as they find themselves untethered from opportunities for income, raising the stakes considerably day-to-day.

This government merely cares about their reputation, creating eye-catching news headlines and boasting about their reliable and hardworking "divider-in-chief." Even when the whole world is fighting this virus, our leaders leave no chance to indulge in dirty, divisive religious politics while forwarding their vendettas and anti-secular policies.

The centre has not left any opportunity to gloat about their relief package or their so-called coronavirus task force. But they still haven't established any task force for the poor migrant workers to reach their homes who are the backbone of our vastly unorganized SMEs. Penniless, desperate and facing a severe scarcity of food, these migrants are on their way to their hometowns (mostly covering the distance on foot). God forbid they need it, moving back to their villages where they will have almost no access to proper medical facilities.

Unfortunately, the current crisis erupted in such a way as migrant workers, who are eluding the eyes and thoughts of our nation's policymakers. They are treating them as expendable, disrespecting fundamental human rights and perpetuating a disastrous and unrepairable error. Undoubtedly, the opposition leaders call this relief package declaration "headline with a blank page." They are rightly calling out the government for the despair and death of so many migrant workers, which is a result of the "botched up" and unplanned lockdown and arrogant approach towards the suffering of lakhs of migrants across the country.

We can't deny that it is the responsibility of the opposition to criticize the ruling government, but sometimes instead of harsh criticism, we need to focus on providing practical solutions and working together by synergizing our efforts. There were reports and images of police officers apparently beating people – including migrants – with batons, for breaking quarantine rules and allegedly spraying some on the road, with disinfectants. What's more unfortunate is that some of these migrants are not able to provide for their families and are disappointed with the government to the extent that they are even resorting to suicide. It pains me to read about such workers who die not because of the disease directly but because of the parliament's inaction to support them in these dire circumstances.

For a genuinely concerned citizen, raising the voice against inept government policies is a must for the overall welfare of the nation without being disrespectful or with a feeling of any vengeance. I pity the government's blind followers or so-called "bhakts" who are supporting this horrendous mistake of blind loyalty and promoting the shenanigans of their leaders. Even their participation in forwarding the ruling party IT cell's manipulative curated WhatsApp forwards is a simple way of showing their loyal support. Needless to say, most of their supporters are not open to an unbiased discussion and an honest debate. But, I still don't blame them, as WhatsApp forwards has sent them in oblivion away from the realities.

There should always be healthy opposition to any type of government action or inactions, there will always exist a difference of opinion. Although, I personally have no enmity against these individuals but would like to wholeheartedly request them to try to understand different perspectives and take feedback in a more sporty manner. I wish to support the government for their efforts but as we can see they are not enough, we need to push ourselves, work together with perseverance and mutual trust to make our motherland truly Aatmanirbhar and respected across the world.

As it is very aptly said by Betty Williams, "There's no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution." I would like to propose some solutions I believe to be practical and would request all of you, to contribute in your own way. Firstly, we should arrange proper legal documentation for all undocumented workers, providing them with Aadhaar cards, identity proof, ration cards, and any other documentation required for their identification by the government. Without this, the government would not have accurate and sufficient data to provide them with proper facilities required for their survival. Secondly, the government must do their best, with the help of not-for-profit organizations and medical suppliers, to provide these migrant workers and their families with proper sanitation equipment and basic toiletries to upkeep their hygiene. This will only be beneficial if the WHO guidelines on how to keep yourself clean and sanitized are translated to their local languages and explained to them using posters, videos and other forms of audio-visual aid. This will not only help spread awareness but also help in removing the stigma around the Coronavirus and its spread. They should take special care of people with disabilities and people from marginalized communities by making sure that they are provided with security and social support wherever needed. Thirdly, considering from a policy point of view, there is an urgent need for the establishment and smooth functioning of a task force on migration. Earlier there was a working group formed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and headed by Partha Mukhopadhyay from the Centre for Policy Research, which was set up at the end of 2015. There report explicitly stated that, "the migrant population contributed substantially to economic growth and that it was necessary to secure their constitutional rights." It included recommendations on social protection, self-registration, food security, health, education, skilling and employment, and financial inclusion. We should take inspiration from the Kerela and Odisha model and policies for migrant support.

As it is very rightly said "we rise, by lifting others," we must realize that our small efforts will contribute towards a big and meaningful change. Finally hoping that our government genuinely thinks about the poor and the needy and works in cooperation and collaboration with all states for the betterment of the nation.

God bless our nation, God bless mankind!

-Mansanjam Singh Bhatia