The Covid-19 is a double nightmare to those working in the organized sector. Now, it’s not only the Corona virus that they are worried about, they also fear about their wages, fear about their ability to pay their rent and then fear the Covid-19. The Northeast people working in different cities of India are in a precarious situation, they cannot go back to their own states due to shutdown of the Railways and Airport, add to that they are living in crowded areas with poor sanitation which is a breeding ground for other infectious disease like Dengue, TB and Cholera.
Covid-19 has been brought to India by the privileged class into India, the people who can afford to travel on international flights to foreign country, and when they come back to India, due to the inherent inequality and corruption in the country, some of them do not undergo the mandatory quarantine period which is required for everyone. Unfortunately in a country like India where the Political Class, The Bureaucrats and the other VIPS are exempted from mandatory checks or are let off for petty traffic violations, Covid-19 does not distinguish the rich and poor, the VIP and the non VIPs and infects everyone but the quarantine is a different story for the rich and salaried class. While it is a long paid holiday to enjoy and watch movies at home for some, for those in the unorganized sector, it is a nightmare.
For many of the Northeast Citizens working in the big cities, social distancing is a distant dream, they live in cramped rooms sharing it with 2-3 others. Till the day before quarantine, they were still commuting on crowded trains and Buses with people distancing from where they were sitting or standing with suspicious looks as if they themselves were the corona. In some places, people spit on them saying there are the corona or are ridiculed and made fun of because their mongoloid features saying that they are Chinese and are the source of the virus. Some of them are told to vacate their rented homes because they have taken in some of their friends who are now unemployed because of the shut down in the restaurant or shop that they are working has closed. Their house owner is suspicious of anyone with a mongoloid feature.
On an average, they earn Rs. 10,000 per month working in Restaurants, Spa’s or Hotels. Now that there is a shutdown for 21 days, they are more vulnerable to deprivation of food and nutrition. They have to pay for their house Rent which will be around Rs. 5,000. It’s unlikely that they will be left with any money towards the end of the month. Their employers who are small time shop owners are also facing the brunt of the shutdown without revenue and payment of rent. Many of them are likely to get fired from their job or retained without any payment of wages for the period of lock down even though the Ministry of Labour and Employment has given an advisory to pay wages without any reduction and not to terminate any employees. It is even more difficult for northeast workers who are from outside the state where they are working because most of the cash and food benefits that are being given are given to only those who have ration cards.
Forget about social distancing, they cannot afford to buy mask, hand sanitizers with whatever money they have stretched to the limit to help them survive the 21 day lockdown. Some of them may borrow money from money lenders with high interest rates which will only make their financial situation worse. The Prime Minister has recently increased the price of Petrol , hopefully to create some fund for the poor affected during this crisis. Whatever funds that have been earmarked for supporting the needy must take into consideration those who are working outside of the state and must ensure that no one dies of hunger.
