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COVID 19 and Migrant Workers- News and Commentaries & Social media updates

COVID 19 AND MIGRANT WORKERS

NEWS AND COMMENTARIES

Migrant workers are the most at risk in India due to the COVID 19. Apart from obvious health risk, a nationwide shutdown means economic precarity for these workers who are mostly daily wage labourers. A collection of news articles by various sources are collected by the Calcutta Research Group which highlight the distress of the migrant workers in the time of the global pandemic.

India has about 120 million migrant labourers, according to the labour rights group Aajiveeka. From losing income to leaving for home in a rush to facing police brutality, these workers are facing various perils.

In the attached articles we can see stories of various workers from urban centres like Delhi or Mumbai either lamenting the loss of livelihood or facing problems while going home. For example, a story on Reuters from March 21, shows how thousands of poor workers were heading back to their villages from Mumbai in packed trains causing fear that their exodus could carry the virus back to their villages. Social distancing for these poor workers fleeing hunger and joblessness is not an option.

Pappu Yadav, a native from the eastern state of Bihar who drives an autorickshaw in Delhi said he shares a small room with three other migrant workers in the outskirts of the city. He witnessed a dip in his income resulting in his family borrowing money from neighbours to survive.

While some workers went back to their respective villages where they do not have to pay rent and the cost of living is low, many workers did not yet leave their workspace in fear of a complete collapse in income.

“I earn 600 rupees every day and I have five people to feed. We will run out of food in a few days. I know the risk of coronavirus, but I can’t see my children hungry,” Ramesh Kumar, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh told BBC in Delhi. He stayed back in the hope of some income.

A complete 21 days nationwide lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. Many workers from Rajasthan working in Gujarat had to leave for their home when they heard the news. However, the lack of transport compelled them to walk for days to reach home. Pictures of the workers walking with their kids and families without food or water have been reported by various sources along with the police brutality they faced. Videos have surfaced on social media and news sites that show police have been beating up or making the workers go through some form of physical punishment for not following the lockdown without regard for the fact that these workers are not on the streets out of choice but out of compulsion. A complete nationwide shutdown which has been increased till May 3, has brought panic and fear for the future which overshadows the fear of COVID 19. Sanjay Sharma, a taxi driver in Mumbai, originally from Himachal Pradesh while talking to Reuters, said, “Some people will die of the virus. The rest of us will die of hunger.”

List of Articles

  1. The little hands of labour behind your smart-phone (The Wire, 16 June 2021): A joint report by ILO and UNICEF warns that child labour has risen to 160 million – a significant increase in two decades. Governments, corporate, and customers have a responsibility to not remain ignorant. Link: https://thewire.in/rights/child-labour-unicef-mines-amnesty-international-ilo
  2. The pandemic devastated an immigrant community. Its first Latino priest is spreading hope (The Washington Post, 17 June 2021): Juan de la Cruz Turcios, a priest in the St. Camillus helping the Spanish immigrants to fight back against the pandemic. Link:
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/06/17/langley-park-immigrant-catholic-priest/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F33ce275%2F60ccc28d9d2fdae3028440cd%2F60b1e38fade4e2105851f0fe%2F57%2F72%2F60ccc28d9d2fdae3028440cd
  3. Migration and healthcare: Reclaiming the trust among the migrant population is important (Report on “Thinc series” of discussion) (The Indian Express, 30 July 2021): This is report on a series of discussion on migration and healthcare. The Dr Ajoy Mehta, Dr Vandana Prasad, Dr Pavita Mohan, Uma Mahadevan and K Srinath Reddy. The discussion is moving around the migrant question in Karnataka.
    Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/third-edition-migration-and-healthcare-reclaiming-of-trust-among-the-migrant-population-is-important-7371303/
  4. “The Pandemic and the Politics of Life” review: A raging virus and the impact on the marginalised (The Hindu, 8 May, 2021): A review of Ranabir Samaddar’s book on pandemic and its impact on the migrant communities. Link: https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/a-pandemic-and-the-politics-of-life-review-a-raging-virus-and-its-impact-on-the-marginalised/article34505298.ece
  5. Amartya Sen on the class factor in the economics of disaster (The Wire, 30 June, 2021): Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen describes the relation between natural disaster or epidemic and economic crisis in a webinar organised by South Asia Peace Action Network (SPAN). Link: https://thewire.in/rights/amartya-sen-economics-of-disaster-class-covid-19
  6. Implement one nation one ration card scheme so migrant worker goes hungry: SC to Centre , States (Swarajya, 30 June, 2021): The Supreme Court, in a judgment yesterday (29 July), asked the centre as well as the state governments to complete the implementation of One Nation One Ration Card scheme by 31 July. Link: https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/implement-one-nation-one-ration-card-scheme-by-31-july-so-no-migrant-worker-goes-hungry-sc-to-centre-states
  7. Not schemes but basic security: What the SC judgement on migrant workers overlooked (The Wire, 1 July, 2021): The Supreme Court has delivered its judgment on what has come to be known as the ‘migrant labourer’ case. The apex court took suo motu cognisance of the plight of the migrant workers at the height of the exodus last year and continued hearing the case through the second wave. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/sc-judgment-on-migrant-labour-registration-workers-work-environment
  8. Here is what we know about COVID’s impact on India’s workers and what we can do about it (The Wire, 3 July, 2021): This report shows how the pandemic disproportionately impacted women and young workers. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/covid-19-india-impact-workers
  9. Migrants starve because one nation, one ration irregularities (The Telegraph online, 5 July, 2021): Stranded Workers Action Network has released a report saying 82% of these workers had had at best two days of rations, while 76 % had at most Rs 200 left with them. Link: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/coronavirus-outbreak-migrants-starve-as-state-and-centre-conflict-over-onor/cid/1821244
  10. Why we must examine India’s labour policy since 1947 to understand plight of migrant workers today (Scroll.in, 2 July 2021): Policy choices and strategies adapted by governments over seven decades have been key in determining the extent of reliance of informal employment. A report by Veena Naregal. Link: https://amp.scroll.in/article/999064/why-we-must-examine-indias-labour-policy-since-1947-to-understand-plight-of-migrant-workers-today
  11. Envisioning Equitable Access to Justice for Migrant Workers in India (The Wire, 4 July, 2021): In order to protect migrant workers in the informal sector from exploitation, we must ensure that they can access the justice system regardless of the location of their work. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/envisioning-equitable-access-to-justice-for-migrant-workers-in-india
  12. High employment, migrant worker woes-challenges aplenty for new labour minister (Moneycontrol, 8 July, 2021): The new labour minister Bhupendar Yadav gets the challenges to control the problem of unemployment and the job loss of the migrant workers. Link: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/high-unemployment-migrant-worker-woes-challenges-aplenty-for-new-labour-minister-7145991.html/amp
  13. In Spain’s strawberry fields, migrant women face sexual abuse (Al-Jazeera, 10 July 2021): Farm bosses routinely sexually harass and exploit seasonal workers who pick the red fruit that lines shelves in European supermarkets, investigation reveals. Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/10/in-spains-strawberry-fields-migrant-women-face-sexual-abuse
  14. How Did Union, State Govts Fare on SC’s Order Providing Safety Net for Migrant Labour? (The Wire, 15 July 2021): The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the plight of migrants in Re: Problems and miseries of migrant labourers, write Petition No SMWP(C) 6/2020, and on June 29, 2021, it passed an order of great significance for the well-being of migrant labour. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/how-did-union-state-govts-fare-on-scs-order-providing-safety-net-for-migrant-labour
  15. Our COVID-19 Response Restricted Women’s Access to Food and Health – but Needn’t Have (The Wire, 16 July 2021): A report on the survey conducted by Wire on the impact of the pandemic on women from low-income households, with a view to elevating women’s agenda among policymakers. The survey covered more than 17,000 respondents in ten states, and was primarily via telephone. Link: https://thewire.in/health/covid-19-pandemic-women-health-access-to-food-menstrual-hygiene
  16. Families of Bihar’s ASHA Workers Who Died of COVID-19 Still Haven’t Been Compensated (The Wire, 16 July 2021): Both the Union and state governments have announced compensation schemes, but documentation requirements and apathy from local officials makes the money hard to access. Link: https://thewire.in/government/families-of-bihars-asha-workers-who-died-of-covid-19-still-havent-been-compensated
  17. Pandemic deprives Asia’s garment workers of almost $12bn in wages (Financial Times, 18 July, 2021): Asian garment workers have been deprived of almost $12bn in wages and severance pay as international retailers cancelled orders and demanded price reductions in the wake of the pandemic, according to a labour rights group.
    Link:
    https://www.ft.com/content/22007eb9-440d-48c7-b3dc-fce62c735e1e?accessToken=zwAAAXswl2t4kc8iAH65RA1Ix9Oz3PzmLHNeHg.MEYCIQDMlD666LMYC3iKRiqYOVIigDduuVd1SHBeqcdhu0ZBVAIhALo3IFX1UVROO-udRHIhkzFyCZlrW13NdduzcxRmtJTe&sharetype=gift?token=22a92d3d-c0e2-476e-9267-4a310b89fcad
  18. Centre to apply Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act after 42 years (The Telegraph online, 26 July 2021): A report about the condition of migrant labours if the centre applies the migrant workmen act. Registration under the act ensures protection under the labour laws relating to minimum wage, safety, accident coverage and travel allowance. Link: : https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/centre-to-implement-inter-state-migrant-workmen-act-after-42-years/cid/1823899
  19. Tamil Nadu to create databank of migrant workers (The Hindu, 26 July 2021): The Tamil Nadu government will soon create a digital databank of migrant workers employed in industries, particularly the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and hospitality sectors, across the State, Minister for Industries Thangam Thennarasu said on Sunday. Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/databank-of-migrant-workers-soon-says-tamil-nadu-industries-minister/article35530808.ece
  20. Second wave of COVID-19 has left migrant workers in India with no savings and few job opportunities (Scroll, 2June 2021): As India reported a second number of coronavirus cases and deaths, the migrant crisis continued. Link: https://amp.scroll.in/article/996337/second-wave-of-covid-19-has-left-migrant-workers-in-india-with-no-savings-and-few-jobs
  21. Blood Sport: Quatar hosting the Football World Cup is not without controversy (The Telegraph, online, 1June 2021): A report in The Guardian stated that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago — a direct consequence of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers, including ‘heat stress’. Link: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/qatar-hosting-the-football-world-cup-is-not-without-controversy/cid/1817324
  22. Designing urban employment schemes for women (IDR online, 2 June 2021): Women were disproportionately impacted by the economic shock of the pandemic last year, as COVID-19 guidelines prevented work in sectors like construction, beauty and wellness, domestic work, sex work, among others. This article describes seven ways to bring women back to the labour force, provide livelihood and income security and increase women’s agency in cities. Link:
    https://idronline.org/article/gender/designing-urban-employment-schemes-for-women/?utm_source=facebookinstagram&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=2021_Articles&utm_content=designing_urban_employment_plans_for_women&
    fbclid=IwAR1TdnlG5ON2ZIY4rcwNj5kYrR11VKi9gm8YuKbp2vGdgClyXzoUlwkgPv0
  23. Migrant arrivals electrify Southern Europe’s demographic debate (Financial Times,30 May 2021): Italy and Spain faces huge demographic challenges from rapidly aging populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Link:
    https://www.ft.com/content/e6a6c093-2a86-40ec-a76c-b0983e2e1085?accessToken=zwAAAXoO3LBwkdPmpsCTKoZA7NOnbLCYPi4QhQ.MEUCIQDAWa75MmLGV2H_a0zwMXQ06vRALtTUhF_LQpWdIACCsAIgK0SjYVN5aT2FQYavkZ3ggTUe973ndysfyIPDLXvzppU&sharetype=gift?token=aede2f9d-4d88-42fb-8e5f-7954fd5cd544
  24. ‘1232 Km.’: Vinod Kapri’s documentary migrants returning home during 2020 is now a book (Scroll, 28 May 2021): A review of Vinod Kapri’s book on the long journey of the migrant workers. Link: https://scroll.in/article/994782/1232-km-vinod-kapris-documentary-migrants-returning-home-during-the-2020-lockdown-is-now-a-book
  25. Odisha migrant helped in returning home safely (The Hindu, 4 June 2021): With the second wave of the pandemic disrupting lives everywhere, brick kiln operators, often seen as exploitative employers in the past, have funded train fares for migrant workers to travel back home. Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/odisha-migrant-labourers-helped-in-returning-home-safely/article34729651.ece
  26. 97% of Indians have been left poorer by the pandemic says economist Mahesh Vyas (Scroll, 29 May 2021): Mahesh Vyas, the CEO of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy pointed out the lockdown as the major cause behind the poorer economic condition of most people.. Link: https://scroll.in/article/996028/97-of-indians-have-been-left-poorer-by-the-pandemic-says-economist-mahesh-vyas
  27. Migrant workers in Delhi’s Kapashera have been left to fend for themselves (The Wire, 19 May 2021): Migrant workers in different small and medium industries at the Kapashera area of Delhi – Haryana border were in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article tells about the study of the socio-economic condition of the migrant workers in New Delhi. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/migrant-workers-in-delhis-kapashera-have-been-left-to-fend-for-themselves
  28. The accumulation of debt during the COVID-19 pandemic is hurting India’s low income households (Scroll, 24 May 2021): Household debt to GDP ratio increased to 37.1% in the second quarter of 2020. Link: https://scroll.in/article/995587/how-the-accumulation-of-debt-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-is-hurting-indias-low-income-households
  29. Widening food security net: Lessons from Delhi’s 2020 lockdown (The Wire, 6 June 2021): The Delhi government’s efforts to expand food security benefits offer a unique vantage point to understand issues in universalising access to food and arriving at solutions that will regain the trust of the urban poor and migrants.. Link: https://thewire.in/rights/delhi-covid-19-lockdown-food-security-migrants
  30. Locked down by the pandemic: Culturally important nomadic communities struggles to survive (The Wire, 10 June 2021): In a recent field study undertaken by our team at the Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES), we spoke to members of different nomadic communities settled across slum-like settlements in Pune, Maharashtra, ever since restrictions on mobility were announced after the second wave of the pandemic.. Link: https://thewire.in/the-arts/locked-down-by-the-pandemic-culturally-important-nomadic-communities-struggle-to-survive
  31. How will food reach migrant labourers without ration card, asks Supreme Court (The Hindu, 11 June 2021): The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre how it intended to take food to crores of migrant labourers who have no ration cards. Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/how-will-food-reach-migrant-labourers-without-ration-cards-sc-asks/article34790922.ece
  32. Need robust mechanism to check migrant workers exploitation: Jharkhand CM (The Economic Times, 13 June 2021): Concerned over the “exploitation” of Jharkhand migrant workers in various parts of the country, especially in difficult terrains, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has voiced the need to put in place a robust mechanism to check such practices and said he would hold necessary discussions with his counterparts from other states. Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/need-robust-mechanism-to-check-migrant-workers-exploitation-jharkhand-cm/articleshow/83481406.cms?from=mdr
  33. Migrant workers in Delhi’s Kapashera have been left to fend for themselves (The Wire, 19 May 2021): Migrant workers in different small and medium industries at the Kapashera area of Delhi – Haryana border were in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article tells about the study of the socio-economic condition of the migrant workers in New Delhi. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/migrant-workers-in-delhis-kapashera-have-been-left-to-fend-for-themselves
  34. A pandemic is not a law and order problem (IDR online, 30 March 2020): The government has forgotten that COVID-19 is a disaster and that we need to mobilise all the resources we have. To do this effectively, it must create a framework that enables civil society to join the fight. Link:
    https://idronline.org/a-pandemic-is-not-a-law-and-order-problem/?utm_source=facebookinstagram&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=Covid19_Articles_2ndbatch&utm_content=Pandemic_law_order&fbclid=IwAR31n0KG89_AA_-QXXOHUzACHrdNEHecwk6g_lHgfFCfYy6QcuxvPNVsHYw
  35. 26 Jharkhand migrant workers brought home after getting stranded in Nepal (NDTV,22 May 2021): The migrant workers hailing from Dumka district had appealed to the government for rescue, saying they were unwell and held up in Sindhupalchok district of Nepal. Link: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/covid-19-26-jharkhand-migrant-workers-brought-home-after-getting-stranded-in-nepal-2447323?amp=1&akamai-rum=off
  36. While rich Indians flee abroad, Kolkata’s affluent raise funds for beds and oxygen (Live Wire, 19 May 2021): While most of rich upper class Indians flans to flee abroad to avoid the second surge of COVID-19, some Bengali elite and rich upper class people come forward to help poor and homeless people. Link: https://livewire.thewire.in/health/while-rich-indians-flee-abroad-kolkatas-affluent-raise-funds-for-beds-and-oxygen/
  37. Over 8 lakh migrant workers left Delhi in first four weeks of lockdown to contain second wave: Report (22 May 2021): Over eight lakh migrant workers left Delhi within the month of lockdown as per records from the transport department in Delhi.
    Link: https://www.news18.com/amp/news/india/over-8-lakh-migrant-workers-left-delhi-in-first-four-weeks-of-lockdown-to-contain-second-wave-report-3765497.html
  38. Kolkata learnt survival lessons from first year’s lockdown (Times of India, 23 May, 2021): A section of middle and low income businessmen adapted home delivery to survive their business and generate income for more low income people. Link: https://m.timesofindia.com/city/kolkata/learnt-survival-lessons-from-last-years-lockdown/amp_articleshow/82866971.cms
  39. There is no democarcy if you can not force a state to fulfill its responsibilities (Rashtrake dwaitto palone badhy korte na parle kisher Ganatantra) (Anirban Chattopadhyay, Ananda Bazar Patrika, 25 May 2021): The articles described about the recent order given by the honourable Supreme Court of India revised its old order and directed the central government to provide free cooked food and ration for the poor and marginalised as well as ordered the government to make arrangement for a safe return for the migrants. Link: https://www.anandabazar.com/editorial/essays/essay-there-is-no-democarcy-if-you-can-not-force-a-state-to-fulfill-its-responsibilities/cid/1283034
  40. Without access of vaccine or medicine, COVID adds to Rohingya refugees woes (The Wire, 17 May 2021): The camps of the Rohingiya refugees in Delhi have no provision to get COVID vaccines. They do not have any identity and therefore are unable to get any help from the government. Link: https://thewire.in/health/rohingya-refugees-delhi-covid-vaccine
  41. SC to govt: Register Workers (The Telegraph, 25 May 2021): The honourable Supreme Court ordered the labour ministry to prepare a database of the unorganised sector workers to provide ration, cooked food and other facilities. Link: https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview_362159_30914_4_71_25-05-2021_5_i_1_sf.html
  42. Beyond Covid: We must address hunger crisis in India (Indian Express, 21 May 2021): For millions, still suffering from the after effects of the first COVID wave, basic ration is necessary to survive for most of the marginalised people.
    Link:https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronanvirus-india-second-wave-hunger-index-poverty-migrant-crisis-7323648/?fbclid=IwAR1FUKZl4nKdljQwKJSfZwxYnJyMFlIX_zcGxM8GwE1-CKikm-aeYpHMM2M
  43. Bengaluru’s migrant workers fight hunger in lockdown with little government assistance (The Nwes Minute, 28 May 2021): If hunger is increasingly a worry for migrant workers, the fear of the coronavirus spreading in their settlements is also a reality now Link: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bengaluru-s-migrant-workers-fight-hunger-lockdown-little-govt-assistance-149697
  44. How social class affects COVID related layoffs worldwide (New York Times,3 May 2021): Although the less educated adults lost their jobs and financial positions in US and may other countries in the world, the egalitarian countries in Europe did not affect much on the class relations. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/upshot/covid-layoffs-worldwide.html?searchResultPosition=1
  45. One year on, access to subsidised food remains a crucial challenge for migrant workers (Scroll, 8 May 2021): The brutal lockdown imposed by the government showed the loopholes and technical problems to distribute food grains and other essential items among the migrant workers, labours and other marginal communities under the “one nation one ration card” system.
    Link: https://amp.scroll.in/article/993197/one-year-on-access-to-subsidised-food-remains-a-crucial-challenge-for-migrant-workers
  46. Karnataka announces free meals thrice a day for migrant workers and poor at govt-run Indira canteens (The Economic Times, 11 May 2021): To ease hardships that come with the strict restrictions, the Karnataka government announced three free meals would be made available to the poor, migrants and workers in need, at Indira Canteens in Bengaluru and across the state till May 24.
    Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/karnataka-announces-free-meals-thrice-a-day-for-migrant-workers-and-poor-at-govt-run-indira-canteens/articleshow/82555624.cms?from=mdr
  47. Europe migrant crisis: Over 2000 reach Mediterranean island by boat (The Statesman, 10 May 2021): The Italian ministry of interior stated that along with COVID-19, another crisis has arisen in Europe, now more than 2,000 migrants have reached the Lampedusa islands in the Mediterranean Sea by boat. Link: https://www.thestatesman.com/coronavirus/europe-migrant-crisis-over-2000-reach-mediterranean-island-by-boat-1502966927.html
  48. Open community kitchens, provide dry rations and facilitate transportation for migrant workers: SC (News 18, India, 13 May 2021): The honourable Supreme Court of India directed the government of NCR Delhi and state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to open community kitchens, provide dry rations and make arrangements to sent the migrant workers to their home states. Link: https://www.news18.com/news/india/open-community-kitchen-provide-dry-ration-facilitate-transportation-of-migrant-workers-sc-3735863.html
    See also The Economic times (13 May 2021) for the same news at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/open-community-kitchen-provide-dry-ration-facilitate-transportation-of-migrant-workers-sc/articleshow/82606537.cms?from=mdr
    See also the NDTV news on May 14 2021 at: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/covid-19-give-food-transport-to-stranded-migrant-workers-in-delhi-ncr-supreme-court-2441373?amp=1&akamai-rum=off
    To watch the video (13 May 2021) about this please click:
    https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/open-community-kitchen-provide-dry-ration-facilitate-transportation-of-migrant-workers-sc/amp_articleshow/82606537.cms
  49. Tea planter requested for smooth functioning for tea-garden operations (The Economic Times, 14 May 2021): With restrictions and curfew is put in place owing to surge in COVID-19 cases, tea planters sought movement of persons working in tea factories from workplace to home during curfew hours and relaxation for vehicles carrying green tea leafs to factories. Bidyananda Barkakoty, the advisor of NETA said that keeping open the gardens should not be a problem because most of the gardens are in the rural areas.
    Link: https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/tea-planter-requested-for-smooth-functioning-of-tea-gardens-operations/amp_articleshow/82614549.cms
  50. Covid: The government sites second wave to stop migrant survey (The Telegraph online edition, 16 May 2021): The Government of India decided to stop the five field surveys on the socio-economic and health conditions of migrant workers due to the second wave of the pandemic. Link: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/covid-govt-cites-second-wave-to-stop-migrant-survey/cid/1815711
  51. How is Assam responding to the second wave of COVID-19 (India Development Review,7 May 2021): A field report from Assam that highlights the sudden rise in cases, the response of the people, and their preparedness on the ground. Link:
    https://idronline.org/how-is-assam-responding-to-the-second-wave-of-covid-19/?utm_source=facebookinstagram&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=2021_Articles_Engaged_Aud&utm_content=Assam_responding_to_covid_19&fbclid=IwAR21sNIXoNLNgJcwGVEVC22lrsE7Re_aR-lahKkBFId-8LMLElPXrFhBKlY
  52. The Greater Chennai Corporation comes to aid of Migrant Workers (The Hindu,16 May 2021): As migrant labourers have gradually started leaving the city due to the lockdown, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has made arrangements to prevent any confusion like last year. Ever since the complete lockdown began, the GCC has helped 900 guest workers reach their destinations safely.
    Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/greater-chennai-corporation-comes-to-aid-of-migrant-workers/article34570867.ece/amp/
  53. Scarred once, migrants in Goa crowd trains to rush back home (Indian Express, 30.04.2021): Hundreds of Bihari migrant workers gathered the Vasco-da Gama station of Goa to board the train for their native villages. Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/covid-19-india-second-wave-scarred-once-migrants-in-goa-crowd-trains-to-rush-back-home
  54. As the pandemic’s second wave rages, migrants trudge home again (Indian Express, 1.05.2021): The trains bound to Bihar and other north and east Indian states are started filling with the thousand of migrant workers with the second wave of COVID-19. These workers are getting scared with the deteriorating situation in the new centres for urban migration. Link:
    https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/as-the-pandemics-second-wave-rages-migrants-trudge-home-again-7297303/?utm_source=newzmate&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=opinion&tqid=0PqkbHk8HxcBkUj5Y.yfIpaZAiSGvkXkbLK4mZ42EQ
  55. Covid: Plea in Supreme court for food and livelihood for migrants (The Telegraph, 30.04.2021): Three social activists Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj and Jagdip Chhokar urged the Supreme Court to direct the Centre and the states to ensure that the country’s estimated eight crore migrant labourers get adequate source of food and livelihood as they have been most vulnerable to the second wave of the pandemic and the resultant restrictive measures. Link: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/covid-plea-in-supreme-court-for-food-and-livelihood-for-migrants/cid/1814057
  56. Migrant disinterest builds case for broader NREGA: Study (The Telegraph, 1.05.2021): This study report was published by the University of Bonn in Germany. The findings are significant at a time workers have again begun returning home amid a Covid resurgence in India. Detail report is available in the report section of the living archive. Link: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/migrant-disinterest-builds-case-for-broader-nrega-study/cid/1814059
  57. As COVID-19 rages , the road ahead for migrant workers in Himachal looks bleak (The Wire 2.05.2021): The five migrant workers working in the construction sites feared for loosing job and suffering like last year. Link: https://thewire.in/labour/as-covid-19-rages-the-road-ahead-for-migrant-workers-in-himachal-looks-bleak
  58. As the pandemic’s second wave rages migrants trudge home again: A whole year’s uncertainty and deprivation, of constantly adapting to shocks and new realities, has left India’s informal workforce in an economically and emotionally bad condition. Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/as-the-pandemics-second-wave-rages-migrants-trudge-home-again-7297303/
  59. India’s Covid surge rocks global shipping industry: The second wave of COVID-19 infections become huge in India. The shipping industry is one of the most lab1. Scarred once, migrants in Goa crowd trains to rush back home (Indian Express, 30.04.2021): Hundreds of Bihari migrant workers gathered the Vasco-da Gama station of Goa to board the train for their native villages.decoration: none”> 81% migrant workers interviewed say they’ve not got work due to local lockdowns, shows survey: A survey conducted by Stranded Workers Action Network shows that only 18% of the total number of migrant workers in India had received compensation during the lockdown. https://scroll.in/latest/994123/81-migrant-workers-interviewed-say-theyve-not-got-work-due-to-local-lockdowns-shows-survey
  60. Control room for migrant workers put on alert (Mint, 21.04.2021): The government again alert control rooms set up by central labour commission during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 to help the migrant workers to fight against the crisis. Link: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/govt-reactivates-20-control-rooms-as-lockdown-accelerates-reverse-migration-11618905119984.html
  61. Migrant workers leave Bengaluru in droves as lockdown restrictions begin: The Karnataka state government announced complete lockdown in Bengaluru since 27th April. Hundreds of workers were seen waiting for trains in Yeshwantpur and Majestic Railway Stations. Link: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/migrant-workers-leave-bengaluru-droves-lockdown-restrictions-begin-147937
  62. Study: Migrants who returned earned five-fold of those who stayed back: An online survey shows only 45 percent of female migrant labours returned to their urban workplaces. 40 percent of them earned no income across a week in which they were tracked in February 2021 Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/study-migrants-who-returned-earned-five-fold-of-those-who-stayed-back-7291771/
  63. Creating an inhabitable world for human means dismantling rigid forms of individuality: Judith Butler (Time, 21.04.2021)
    The role of the individuals became crucial during the pandemic. We register this pandemic we understand it as global; it brings home the fact that we are implicated in a shared world. The capacity of living human creatures to affect one another can be a matter of life or death. Because so many resources are not equitably shared, and so many have only a small or vanished share of the world, we cannot recognize the pandemic as global without facing those inequalities. Link: https://time.com/5953396/judith-butler-safe-world-individuality/
  64. Fearing lockdown, migrants start returning home, no jobs in hand: A large section of migrant workers started returning to their native villages in Muzaffarpur with no jobs in hand. They feared that another lockdown would begin soon due to the rising cases in Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka. Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/fearing-lockdown-migrants-start-returning-home-no-jobs-in-hand-101618764387055.html
  65. Protect the right of women migrant workers: There are certain recommendations for safety and security of the women migrant workers both from their family and outside during the COVID-19 pandemic. The response from most states to these recommendations has been slow to non-existent. Many quarantine centres and shelters for migrant women are not safe, nor are they safe on the long road home where they have neither facilities nor physical security. Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/protect-the-rights-of-women-migrant-workers-101618664001450.html
  66. Maharashtra Lockdown: More than 3.5 lakh migrant workers leave Mumbai, 115 summer special trains announced: After the state government imposed 144 across the state, migrant labours were seen gathered at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai’s Kurla to board the trains to their native places. The migrant workers who live in the state to earn their livelihood but are anxious about the lockdown and willing to go back their native places as they have nothing to do here. Link: https://english.lokmat.com/maharashtra/maharashtra-lockdown-more-than-35-lakh-migrant-workers-leave-mumbai-115-summer-special-trains/
  67. Socialists on Social Media with Dr Tanner Mirrlees In the digital age, socialists have used social media platforms to their advantage, both for messaging and organizing. But what kind of a radical politics can really emerge from the clutches of digital capitals and the dominance of the contemporary Internet Big Tech? Dr. Tanner Mirrlees of Ontario Tech University is optimistic! Tanner helps us find some hope in the age of posting by historicizing the Internet, leftist media, and media criticism, as well as probing how leftists can navigate ‘entrepreneurial’ content creation. Link: https://socialistproject.ca/podcast/socialists-on-social-media/
  68. Explained Ideas: How badly were migrant workers affected by the first lockdown The careless attitude of the government regarding handling the spread the second wave COVID-19 virus made the situation critical. The migrant workers who went back to their workplace recently, feared to lose their jobs and possibility of return to their native villages. The governments do not prepare any specific policy for these migrant workers. Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-badly-were-migrant-workers-affected-by-the-first-lockdown-7269632/
  69. Migrant women are holding this society together during this pandemic: A large number of women had lost their jobs during the lockdown in 2020. Apart from retrenchment policies of public and private offices, most of them quit their jobs to maintain their home or manage children. The spaces of their social entertainment had reduced due to the pandemic. Professions like domestic work were the most affected sectors. A large number of women workers lost their jobs due to a social taboo from the comparatively wealthy households that the domestic workers may bring the virus into their homes. Latin American countries were the most affected areas regarding working conditions and joblessness of women during the pandemic. . Link: https://socialistproject.ca/2021/04/migrant-women-are-holding-society-together-during-this-pandemic/#more
  70. Massive fire in Rohingiya Camp kills 15, injures 560: The struggle of Rohingya refugees are still continuing. They are suffering through many ways. Very recently a fire has occurred in the Rohingiya camps which killed so many people. It killed 15 and 400 of the entire camp are missing or displaced. Link: https://thewire.in/south-asia/bangladesh-rohingya-camp-fire-coxs-bazaar-injuries
  71. India can’t be capital of illegal migrants, govt tells SC, justifies move on Rohingya.
    https://m.timesofindia.com/india/india-cant-be-capital-of-illegal-migrants-govt-tells-sc-justifies-move-on-rohingya/articleshow/81716923.cms#_ga=2.189661730.86681079.1616984785-33257215
  72. The “Covidisation” Of Migration And Health Research: Implications For Academia, Policy And Practice. http://www.migration.org.za/the-covidisation-of-migration-and-health-research-implications-for-academia-policy-and-practice/
  73. Forced to Return from the Gulf, Migrants in Kerala Are Wondering What Comes Next Reportage by Shwetha E. George, The Wire The Reportage discusses the crisis and challenges the Gulf-returnees had to face during the lockdown and the forced return followed it. Personal narratives from different returnees, observations and comments from experts forms the core of the reportage. https://thewire.in/labour/kerala-migrants-gulf-covid-19 [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  74. Migration, in reverse Story by Joanna Slater, Kareem Fahim and Katie McQue, The Washington Post The news story delineates the potential impact of reverse migration on Kerala ‘s socio-economic sector by featuring a gulf returnee named Ramakrishnan. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/coronavirus-migration-trends-gulf-states-india/ [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  75. Coronavirus | Indian labourers in GCC countries are in dire need of help, say experts Interview with S. Irudaya Rajan and Ginu Zacharaia Oommen by Varghese K George, The Hindu An Interview with experts which focuses on the plight of Indian migrants in GCC countries coping with the pandemic. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-indian-labourers-in-gcc-countries-are-in-dire-need-of-help-say-migration-experts-irudaya-rajan-and-ginu-zacharaia-oommen/article31318501.ece [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  76. Reintegration & Rehabilitation Policies for Emigrants in Kerala: Strategies for a Post-COVID World Research Paper by C S Akhil, Ashwin Kumar and Sabeer V C, Azim Premji University Practice Connect The paper looks at the return migration issue from a policy standpoint and discusses existing policies and models in Kerala. It contextualizes the phenomenon of return migration to Kerala and how the current COVID-19 pandemic adds to an already increasing trend. Sustainable strategies in the wake of the impending mass return of migrants into the state is also being discussed. https://practiceconnect.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/reintegration-rehabilitation-policies-for-emigrants-in-kerala-strategies-for-a-post-covid-world/ [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  77. Migration Governance in a Pandemic: What Can We Learn from India’s Treatment of Migrants in the Gulf? Article by Rhea Abraham, Economic and Political Weekly The article highlights the mass exodus of migrants from the Gulf, the ensuing effect on the Indian economy and healthcare system, and the role of migrants in India’s pandemic preparedness plans. https://www.epw.in/engage/article/migration-governance-pandemic-india-gulf [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  78. The Gulf Boomerang: India’s Biggest Reverse Migration From A World Devastated By COVID-19 Cover Story by Siddharth Premkumar, Outlook , Their dreams gutted by the coronavirus, lakhs return from the Middle-East only to stare at an uncertain future. This is the story of the Non-Resident Keralites during Covid 19 https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/india-news-the-gulf-boomerang-indias-biggest-reverse-migration-from-a-world-devastated-by-covid-19/303219 [Malayali Migrant Workers in Gulf- Reports]
  79. The Lockdown in India Understanding the Matrix of Caste, Class and Gender.” https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/8/commentary/lockdown-india.html
  80. “Migrant Workers Solidarity Network is a network of trade-union activists, social activists, students, workers and concerned citizens who are active in different parts of India. The pandemic had urged us to streamline as a nationwide network to address the problems of stranded migrant workers. We came in direct contact with 45000 workers stranded so far in different locations through a helpline in 10 different languages. Besides acting as a nodal link between the state authorities and migrant workers so that they can avail different welfare schemes, we have also tried to provide relief to them in our very limited capacity.” https://mwsn.in/
  81. “Since 2019 a large number of people migrated from the United Kingdom due to economic fallout. The Coronavirus crisis worked as the catalyst in this issue. As per the report cited by the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) that at least 700,000 people left the capital because of losing jobs. Almost all of them are migrant workers. The Brexit and the Coronivirus pandemic made the position more difficult for the migrant workers in the United Kingdom” https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/1/15/uk-twin-pandemic-and-brexit-crises-prompt-unprecedented-exodus
  82. “The pandemic may be leading to fewer babies in rich countries And perhaps more in poor ones” https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/28/the-pandemic-may-be-leading-to-fewer-babies-in-rich-countries
  83. “Idol of Durga to be preserved as a memento of the pandemic induced lockdown.” https://www.anandabazar.com/calcutta/state-government-to-conserve-barisha-club-s-migrant-durga-idol-dgtl-1.1221252?ref=home-pq-stry-small-image-4
  84. “The new labour codes will now include all workers whose monthly family income is less than Rs 18,000, and who migrate to another state and get directly employed or self-employed. The existing Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, defined a migrant worker as one who is recruited by or through a licensed contractor in one state for employment in an establishment in another state.” https://theprint.in/theprint-essential/easy-to-fire-workers-social-security-for-migrants-gender-equality-3-labour-codes-decoded/509175/
  85. “The architecture of inter-state migration has changed significantly over the last three decades. India enacted Inter State Migrant Workmen (ISMW) Act 1979 in late seventies. The context and premise on which the ISMW Act 1979 was formulated, underwent fundamental changes in later decades. In the present scheme of things, migrations are not mentored as such by contractors in home or host states. Migrations are set free and happen because of the human quest for finding employment elsewhere. The State does not have a mechanism to monitor or regulate migration as such.” https://theprint.in/opinion/blame-this-archaic-1979-law-for-modi-govts-lack-of-data-on-migrants-deaths/508536/
  86. Between 2010-2020, only 84 thousand migrant workers were registered under the Inter-State Migrants Act 1979. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nearly-85k-migrant-workers-registered-under-1979-law-between-2010-20/articleshow/78283298.cms
  87. “The Election Commission has enrolled around 6.5 lakh new voters over the last six months, among them an estimated 3 lakh migrant labourers who returned home during the Covid-19 lockdown, as part of the ongoing updation of the voters’ list ahead of the assembly polls due in October-November” in Bihar. “A large number of migrant labourers has stayed put in their native villages after returning from various states during the lockdown and officials say they could exercise their voting right this time.” https://www.hindustantimes.com/bihar-election/3-lakh-migrant-worker-returnees-added-to-voters-list-in-bihar/story-CXjD4gEzHG1wNRTBaLi9vO.html
  88. “Observing that proper enumeration of migrant workers is necessary and they should not be exploited by employers, a division bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday suo motu impleaded the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment. The court also directed the state to file a detailed report on inter-state migrants, employers and contractors involved in employing them as mandated by the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act.” https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/sep/23/madras-hc-bats-for-welfare-of-inter-state-migrant-workers-seeks-report-from-centre-state-2200911.html
  89. “The Philippine government is trying to retrain hundreds of thousands of Filipino workers who are returning jobless from overseas as the pandemic batters economies around the globe.” https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/philippines-army-of-migrant-workers-retrains-for-life-back-home
  90. Migrant workers from Gulf countries are sending a record amount of money home. Experts say as opportunities might dry up in the oil sector, migrant workers are sending money in advance of their own return. https://www.livemint.com/news/world/why-migrant-workers-in-gulf-countries-are-sending-record-amount-of-money-home-11600748699880.html
  91. More than one crore migrant labourers returned to their home states on foot during March-June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown as per the Ministry of Labour and Employment. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/over-1-crore-migrant-labourers-return-to-home-states-on-foot-during-mar-jun-govt/article32674884.ece
  92. “Migrant workers in Russia were hard hit by the financial consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, and with effectively no social support from the Russian government or their own embassies, many have long wanted to return home. In response to Covid-19, Russia and Uzbekistan, like many countries, closed their borders. Migrants faced erratic and ad hoc repatriation measures. Lacking information and fearing the reintroduction of more stringent travel restrictions later in the year, many have latched on to rumors that they can catch a train home.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/21/migrant-workers-stranded-russia-flocking-border
  93. “Migrant workers say they are struggling to survive due to salary delays, non-payment of dues and NOC restrictions” in Qatar. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/08/26/how-wage-abuse-is-hurting-qatars-migrant-workers/
  94. “The “World Migration Report 2020” published on Tuesday estimates that there were around 272 million international migrants in the world in 2019, among which nearly two-thirds are labor migrants. The launch seminar of the report focused on the dynamics between the pandemic and migration as COVID-19 has immobilized the world, leaving tens of millions of migrants facing unemployment and even deportation.” https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-08-27/COVID-19-Global-Roundup-Migrant-workers-face-a-crisis-in-a-crisis-TirEeffJ4s/index.html
  95. “The COVID-19 pandemic has largely put a freeze on migration. But will the movement of people recover once the current crisis is over? In an interview with UN News, Gary Rynhart, a senior official at the UN labour agency, ILO, explains why a return to “normal” is unlikely, and migrants will probably face a very different job market.” https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/agency-wire/1219093-uncertain-future-for-migrant-workers-in-a-post-pandemic-world
  96. “Migrant workers habitually face discrimination and unequal treatment, often receiving low pay, sometimes below minimum wages set for nationals, and in many instances they lack access to social protection… When the crisis hit and the pandemic resulted in lockdowns, it exposed the flaws in these governance structures and exacerbated the impacts to migrant workers.” An interview with Michelle Leighton, the Chief of the Labour Migration Branch for International Labour Organization. https://www.brinknews.com/covid-19-disruption-towards-migrant-workers/
  97. “In Almería’s (Spain) vast farms, migrants pick food destined for UK supermarkets. But these ‘essential workers’ live in shantytowns and lack PPE as Covid cases soar.” https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/20/we-pick-your-food-migrant-workers-speak-out-from-spains-plastic-sea
  98. “Indian migrant workers in Gulf countries are returning home without months of salary owed to them.” https://www.thehindu.com/society/indian-migrant-workers-in-gulf-countries-are-returning-home-without-months-of-salary-owed-to-them/article32639165.ece
  99. “Dozens of people rallied in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday to demand permanent status for all migrant workers in Canada. The rally, organized by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, comes days before the Sept. 23 throne speech, in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to outline how the federal government will continue to help people and parts of the economy still affected by COVID-19.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/migrant-workers-alliance-for-change-rally-toronto-1.5731984
  100. “Pandemic highlights the vulnerability of migrant workers in the Middle East” https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2020/09/17/pandemic-highlights-the-vulnerability-of-migrant-workers-in-the-middle-east/
  101. “…the government’s attempt to simplify labour regulation by amalgamating 44 labour laws into four comprehensive codes, which is expected to be discussed in the session of Parliament underway, should have had a special focus on Indians employed in the informal sector – especially migrant workers.” https://scroll.in/article/973402/labour-codes-are-protections-for-migrant-workers-migrating-too
  102. “Migrant workers who went back home are being lured back by their employers with paid travel and advance salary.” https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/migrant-workers-being-lured-back-with-paid-travel-advance-salary/articleshow/78227123.cms
  103. “Sugarcane is a labour-intensive crop. Inadequate mechanisation of the cane sector in UP means that there is a huge potential for absorbing skilled and unskilled in-migrants.” https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/for-ups-migrant-workers-cane-sector-can-be-a-sweetener/article32654415.ece
  104. “The Wire has obtained copies of the documents that recorded the deaths of migrant workers on the special trains. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) was incharge of registering these deaths and forwarding the information to the concerned railway zone or division.” https://thewire.in/rights/centre-indian-railways-lockdown-deaths-migrant-workers-shramik-special-rti
  105. “Only 34% of the total allocated foodgrains for stranded migrant laborers could actually be distributed to the needy till August 31, the government has admitted in Parliament. The Centre had allocated 8 lakh metric tons (MTs) foodgrains for stranded migrant laborers under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package. However, till August-end, only about 2.67 lakh MTs of foodgrains had been distributed under the scheme.” https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2020/sep/20/34-of-foodgrains-allocated-for-migrant-workers-distributed-2199267.html
  106. “With the Central government recently telling the Parliament that it had no data on the deaths and unemployment of migrant workers, their families hold their breath in hopes of some respite.” https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kin-of-migrant-workers-who-died-during-lockdown-hope-for-compensation/article32652494.ece
  107. “The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has proposed widening the coverage of migrant workers under labour laws, along with extending more social security benefits to the working class most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.” https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/govt-proposes-wider-coverage-for-migrant-workers-under-labour-laws-120091900776_1.html
  108. “The government has informed the Rajya Sabha that 97 people died on board the Shramik Specials, admitting for the first time that migrant labourers lost their lives in the trains which were run to ferry them during the COVID-19 lockdown.” https://www.firstpost.com/india/97-migrant-workers-died-onboard-shramik-trains-centre-tells-parliament-amid-row-over-no-data-on-deaths-8832071.html
  109. “The Ministry of Labour and Employment did not have any data of migrant workers who lost their jobs and their lives during the COVID-19 lockdown, Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Monday informed the Lok Sabha through written replies to several members’ questions.” https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-has-no-data-of-migrant-workers-death-loss-of-job/article32600637.ece
  110. “Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan was not implemented in West Bengal as the state did not provide any data regarding migrant workers who returned to their native places during the COVID-19 lockdown.” https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/sep/19/migrantworkers-schemenot-implemented-in-bengal-as-state-did-not-provide-information-sitharaman-2199169.html
  111. “For Bangladesh’s working poor, the first five months of the pandemic were marked by disease, job insecurity, a food crisis, anxiety and helplessness. It is estimated that 20 million workers are likely to lose their jobs, and the number of people living in poverty in Bangladesh will increase from 34 million to 67 million (40.9 percent of the population).” https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/42864/the-working-poor-in-bangladesh-face-a-hunger-pandemic?cHash=ad4ffaedaf2a3471b5b1b15a4666afe5
  112. “Stories of the ubiquitous but the invisible, stories of folks that nobody much cares about.” https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/stories-of-the-ubiquitous-but-the-invisible-they-the-people/cid/1791058?fbclid=IwAR0ECflhLlyOhD3jduAOc7Aj9FqbkHfmNzJJQ88DMqWaMuSgB0aDLLFSXQE
  113. “Within the ‘Nation’ framework ‘Unfolding Inequalities’ locates the Existential migrant-labor crisis as a ‘Rupture’, as an ongoing as well as a historical trajectory of ‘Forms of Inequalities’.” https://www.mojarto.com/m/broken-foot-unfolding-inequalities
  114. “More than a month since the devastating port explosion in Beirut, the situation for many of the estimated 250,000 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon has gone from dire to catastrophic.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/14/hardships-lebanons-migrant-domestic-workers-rise
  115. “A map which shows where Mumbai’s migrant workers headed after trains started in May.”
    https://scroll.in/article/969350/this-map-shows-where-mumbais-migrant-workers-headed-after-trains-finally-started-again
  116. Much maligned migrant returnees see societal scorn as a repeat of the past – plague, HIV, now Covid, The Statesman, 18 TH JULY 2020
    http://mcrg.ac.in/CRG_COVID-19/5318fcab-2b21-40cc-b7a6-7350ab9def1c.jpg
  117. “The unprecedented public health crisis due to COVID-19 has thrown the vulnerability of migrant construction workers into sharp relief. Most of them are not enrolled in any social protection scheme, and those who are, have been only provided with contingencies. These measures are inadequate to address the multidimensional deprivations and fundamental causes of vulnerability arising due to globalisation and a changing labour market, which has been exacerbated by the current crisis.” http://mcrg.ac.in/CRG_COVID-19/EPW_Com_SonuPandey_I_4July2020_Pages 22-24.pdf
  118. “The Centre admitted that it did not have any data on migrants, but announced that 80 million workers who do not possess ration cards would receive free good grains and pulses.”
    https://thewire.in/government/food-grain-distribution-migrant-workers-anba
  119. “Income of migrant labourers improve the economy of the village, yet the same village shuns these labourers in West Bengal’s Mousuni islands. https://www.groundxero.in/2020/07/03/despite-substantial-contribution-to-village-economy-why-are-migrant-workers-still-neglected/?fbclid=IwAR2xGrbJVPcndD_iTgbUXlmX2v0_Zfju6QIjGDl6w3BoCfQWJXZgApzu6jM
  120. “A 27-year-old Dalit in Odisha’s Kalahandi district has found fame with rap songs on migrant workers turning the focus on their plight after the lockdown enforced on March 25 to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).” https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/odisha-s-migrant-worker-raps-his-way-to-fame/story-u1rTnlOZNHJ9KX0gUrJUjO.html
  121. “Over 100 days since India first went into lockdown on March 25, these 90 migrants were still waiting for news of a “gaadi” or a “vandi” – a Shramik train – that would take them home. So far, 100 trains have left Chennai carrying 1.35 lakh migrants, a senior official of Chennai Corporation said.” https://scroll.in/article/967135/apna-time-aayega-migrants-in-chennai-still-waiting-to-go-home-100-days-after-lockdown-began
  122. Delhi… “scaled up testing for Covid-19 across Delhi and set up rapid antigen testing centres at major markets, public spaces and localities largely inhabited by migrant workers.”
    https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/mandis-and-localities-inhabited-by-migrant-workers-get-antigen-testing-centres/story-LYNgBVmAy3MKK9fuO0xQ3I.html
  123. “The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is developing a database for tribal migrant workers returning to their home states in order to give a push to livelihood generation amid the COVID-19 outbreak and large-scale loss of livelihood of the workers. “
    https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/jul/09/centre-to-come-up-with-database-of-tribal-migrant-workers-for-livelihood-generation-amid-pandemic-2167473.html
  124. For India to industrialize, rethinking the housing situation will be as important as freeing the urban poor from large medical bills and helping them build retirement savings. If the country of 1.3 billion people wants to be a factory to the world — the next China — it must start by giving workers low-cost living quarters. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/comment/indias-china-dream-depends-on-housing-migrant-workers-after-covid-19-859776.html
  125. “India has approved a plan to develop affordable rental housing for migrant workers after millions of labourers fled the nation’s cities for villages amidst coronavirus lockdowns that left many of them without jobs and homes. The scheme, part of a federal housing project aimed at providing housing for all by 2022, aims to convert existing vacant government housing into affordable rental housing complexes (ARHC). Private developers can also participate.” http://www.businessworld.in/article/India-Plans-Rental-Homes-To-Entice-Migrant-Workers-Back-To-Cities/09-07-2020-295764/
  126. “The parliamentary standing committee vetting the labour code on social security may make a strong pitch for the government’s effective intervention to ensure coverage of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to an estimated 30 lakh migrant workers.”
    https://www.financialexpress.com/money/house-panel-for-expansion-of-epf-esic-net-for-migrant-workers/2015241/
  127. “Hidden away in the COVID-19 pandemic are Malaysia’s migrant workers. For years, they have done the country’s most dangerous, dirtiest jobs. Now, undocumented foreign workers are scared for their future. Out of work and forced to live in cramped conditions, some are starving and dependent on charities to survive. The government has successfully contained the initial spread of the virus. It has also put some of the poorest areas of Kuala Lumpur behind barbed wire – testing and fingerprinting migrants, and arresting anyone without valid documents. 101 East investigates why Malaysia’s migrant workers are at risk in the time of COVID-19.” https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2020/07/locked-malaysia-lockdown-200702104523280.html
  128. “Once the employment reality kicks in, there will be pressure to give more jobs to locals. The one-nation-one-ration-card policy incentivises inter-state migration, but most state governments incentivise locals. How will this play out at a time of low employment?” A constitution of an inter-state migrant council on the lines of the GST council has been suggested. Some states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have already set up migrant commissions.” https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pandemic-teaches-a-tragic-lesson-in-migration/story-69EIk6MB70zNDX1VsRTx0J.html
  129. “Be it in Medchal or at the Secunderabad railway station, we noticed reluctance on the part of the government to operate a fulltime shelter to assist the stranded workers. It is indeed puzzling why there is this reluctance… Is it because they are not their voters? And do workers cease to count, if they are not voters?” https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/covid-agony-migrant-workers-travel-and-their-travails-do-workers-cease-to-count-if-they-arent-voters/2006816/
  130. “It’s hunger and hopelessness again that is pushing them back to the cities in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana, and the sprawling farms of Punjab, disregarding the threat of the coronavirus disease that had brought them to their knees.”
    https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/hunger-brought-migrants-home-now-drives-them-back-thousands-of-miles-away-120062900887_1.html
  131. “The combination of the intrinsic vulnerability of forced migration, as in the case of Venezuelans, with the context of social and economic challenges of Roraima sets a testing scenario in regular times; in light of the COVID-19 pandemic the situation has the potential of a humanitarian catastrophe.” https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/pandemic-border/covid-19-brazil-venezuela-borders-good-bad-and-ugly/
  132. “Migrant and refugee populations in Latin America have been one of the most affected by the pandemic. As part of an ongoing regional and interdisciplinary project aimed at exploring the impacts of COVID-19 and the associated governmental responses on migrants’ and refugees’ lives, we argue that the measures taken, particularly border closures and lockdown, have exacerbated the conditions of precarity and vulnerability experienced by many migrants in the region.” https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/mobility-immobility-latin-american-migrants-trapped-amid-covid-19/
  133. “Refugees, as creations of the nation-state international architecture and as one of the most vulnerable groups of people within it, are among the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (alongside other forced migrants). It doesn’t matter where they are in their journey; migration can be seen as a lifespan process. Amid the pandemic there are new challenges deriving from the “geographies of migration”, based on the places to and from which people move, as well as challenges relating to the “subjects of migration”, namely, refugees and the people involved in refugee protection.”
    https://www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/publication/challenges-refugee-protection-time-covid-19
  134. “As lockdowns ease, many of the world’s estimated 164m migrant workers may be forced to return home, to economies that were fragile before the pandemic and are now suffering from rising unemployment and a drop in overseas remittances.”
    https://www.ft.com/content/c01a38f4-f314-4232-afcc-bdbb7aa0b130?accessToken=zwAAAXL8DeqwkdPAGjj08xRCMtOvzL27eqCxMA.MEQCID2OSs_OxhmEdBfikaiaksaqQuMpvmp5XyHy8qp01cghAiBQLDxPuVgiLMmSD5O_rj4BKbvy_ESxVs25grCbH5td2g&sharetype=gift?token=551753ea-6366-4a7d-9b48-96b84b6e0a58
  135. “What Rotis on a Railway Track Will Tell a Future Historian” https://thewire.in/society/what-rotis-on-a-railway-track-will-tell-a-future-historian
  136. “The lockdown had forced many to try and return to their villages in West Bengal. But the devastation caused by the cyclone is now making them think again.” https://thewire.in/rights/mumbai-bengal-migrants-cyclone-amphan
  137. “On Monday, when I reached home, I thought my sufferings were over. But I was wrong. The lockdown took away my job and the cyclone took away everything I was left with. I do not know what would I do next, where would I stay and how would I feed my family,” Jamal Mondal (45), a migrant labourer, said. https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/jobs-lost-to-lockdown-houses-to-amphan-migrant-workers-stare-at-uncertainty/cid/1774762
  138. “The unfolding miseries of millions of poor people in the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown is the greatest manmade tragedy in India since Partition, says historian and economist Ramchandra Guha.” https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/migrant-woes-greatest-manmade-tragedy-in-india-since-partition-ramchandra-guha/article31663219.ece?homepage=true&utm_campaign=socialflow
  139. “Many migrant workers who had undertaken an arduous journey back home to Uttar Pradesh after losing their livelihood due to the lockdown say they would rather live on “sookhi roti” (dry bread) and forego better education for their children than leave their native places again.”
    https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/migrants-will-eat-dry-roti-wont-go-back/cid/1778204?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tt_daily&fbclid=IwAR3ovkYSoX0Go8y2cR-X2wrvND5Tc-tHT-ngZjEqpdNalFvZK23zXHFwU1E
  140. A short report by Rajat Kanti Sur on a Webinar on Public Policy Lessons from Kerala’s COVID-19 Response by Balakrishnan MadhavanKutty, Rural Development Expert, World Bank and special envoy to Kerala, organised by USIEF on 8th May, 2020. https://refugeewatchonline.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/report-on-a-webinar-with-balakrishnan-madhavan-kutty-on-keralas-covid-19-response/
  141. The Supreme Court on the issue of 16 migrant workers getting killed after being run over by a train in Aurangabad last week, said: “How can anyone stop this when they sleep on railway tracks ?”
    https://www.news18.com/news/india/how-can-anyone-stop-this-if-they-sleep-on-tracks-sc-on-16-migrant-workers-killed-in-aurangabad-2621079.html
  142. According to researchers Thejesh G.N., Kanika Sharma and Aman, till Saturday, 378 people had died since the lockdown was imposed due to reasons other than the disease. Of them, 69 people died in rail or road accidents while walking to their homes – the only mode of travel available as public transport had been suspended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which gave notice of only four hours before the first lockdown came into effect.
    https://thewire.in/rights/migrant-workers-non-coronavirus-lockdown-deaths
  143. A rapid survey done by four independent organisations on the condition of migrant workers in Gujarat and Maharashtra has suggested several measures that could be taken to ease the situation.
    https://www.newsclick.in/During-Lockdown-59%-Workers-Not-Paid-Wages-Maharashtra-92%-Gujarat-Study?fbclid=IwAR21PvJq_XPnzgSu3PXuBjOZKN9zJFnuplDjtXCDlLK6-RblqG0fmGPIeHY
  144. P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) and Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient, in an interview said: “Till 26 March, we never knew about the migrant labourer. Suddenly, we see millions of them in the streets. And we feel the pinch because we have lost our services. We didn’t give a damn until March 26. We didn’t think of them as human beings with equal rights. There is an old saying: When the poor become literate, the rich lose their palanquin bearers. Suddenly, we lost our palanquin bearers.”
    https://www.firstpost.com/india/urban-india-didnt-care-about-migrant-workers-till-26-march-only-cares-now-because-its-lost-their-services-p-sainath-8361821.html?fbclid=IwAR2TOjbYxCUno9ZdyEmZkCkS6FVdlwp5z6u0rbSV5c9QcV08FmO-txOdwic
  145. That the Centre was charging the migrant workers, even as it had brought back many stranded tourists from abroad for free, generated much flak. The opposition parties labelled the union government for being “insensitive and inhuman” for making the workers pay despite having known that a majority of them had absolutely no money left after somehow sustaining through the lockdown.
    https://thewire.in/government/indian-railways-migrant-workers-fare
  146. “The Narendra Modi government has tried to quell criticism over the controversial pricing of tickets for migrant workers who are being ferried on special trains to their homes after a prolonged lockdown by suggesting that the Indian Railways are subsidising 85 per cent of the cost of running these trains — and that state governments are only being asked to pick up 15 per cent of the total tab. The clarification was issued after the Congress slammed the government for forcing the migrants to pay for a part of the ticket prices, and the party stepped in to bear this cost. However, the government’s statement is shrouded in confusion since no one really knows how the government works out the cost of running these special trains…”
    https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/controversial-pricing-of-tickets-for-migrant-workers-amid-coronavirus-lockdown-the-indian-railways-85-riddle/cid/1770659
  147. “Why has the outcry against this suffering inflicted on men and women who are more than 90% of India’s workforce been so muted? It is, I believe, in part at least, because those in a position to raise their voices have not identified themselves with those who are suffering. This idea came to me from re-reading DH Lawrence’s once-controversial novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover during the lockdown… One of the themes is the lack of engagement and empathy between the upper-class and the working class as they were known in those days.”
    https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/india-s-migrant-workers-deserve-better-than-this-opinion/story-gnliWO3oiKuR5u2H4R1KXL.html
  148. Indian officials have ordered an investigation after 16 people were run over by a freight train in the state of Maharashtra. The dead were migrant workers who had fallen asleep on the tracks, while attempting to walk to a station, from where they were hoping to get a train home… After walking for 22 miles (36km), they were exhausted and decided to rest. According to local reports, the workers assumed that trains would not be running because of the lockdown, and therefore slept on the tracks. Images on social media show pieces of roti (Indian bread) strewn near the tracks.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52586898
  149. A pandemic is serious and in a public health emergency, drastic containment measures are unavoidable. Even by this token, however, a total lockdown has been widely seen as ‘the harshest coronavirus containment measure in the world.’ There are dimensions of justice, human rights and constitutionalism that need to guide governments when there is a public health emergency as with Covid-19. The focus has to be on the right to health, empathy for the working poor and ethical state practice.
    https://www.theindiaforum.in/article/justice-and-rights-viral-contexts-india
  150. Aajeevika Bureau has been working closely with migrant communities, both at the source and destination, primarily in two Indian states – Gujarat and Rajasthan. The research has come up with important policy recommendations to improve the working and living condition of migrants. The outcomes of this research may prove to be useful in ongoing and future policy discourses to make conditions for migrants – Formal, Adequate and Consistent.
    https://aajeevika.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e09dacfe5aaf769e4cb96c1dc&id=d342c550e9&e=0bfacba583
  151. Migrant flows will change, they will take time to come back to the city, says scientist S Irudaya Rajan
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/migrant-flows-will-change-they-will-take-time-to-come-back-to-the-city-says-scientist-s-irudaya-rajan/articleshow/75510677.cms
  152. A measure of mass quarantine such as this does not target the suspected, likely carriers of the disease. It represents a convenient diversion of attention from the Government’s own lax actions against foreign-returned elites. In the process, it has reduced each citizen into a potential suspected carrier of Covid-19. The real question of course is what the mass quarantine has meant for the various sections of Indian society?
    https://countercurrents.org/2020/05/lockdown-and-its-discontent-mass-quarantine-and-beyond
  153. The workers’ struggles have often erupted on the nearing of the dates when the Central Government was set to review the lockdown situation and ‘need’ for its extension. These public actions of labour reflect an engrained, latent class discontent, which has undoubtedly been brewing among stranded workers since the imposition of the lockdown.
    https://countercurrents.org/2020/05/workers-self-activity-in-the-time-of-lockdown-the-victory-of-their-right-to-return-home
  154. The coupling of epidemic and lock-down has created confusion for some people in terms of which of the two is deadlier. For many this is an unprecedented, exceptional time. But for others this moment is not new but rather a repetition of the similar course of life, with the addition of just another fear.
    https://kafila.online/2020/04/19/agony-of-covid-19-and-the-lock-down-who-is-afraid-of-class-maya-john/
  155. The trajectory of recent events in India does hint at the possibility that the paranoia gripping the country is far from devoid of a class bias. For a country like India with entrenched inequalities and rampant poverty, is Covid-19 the enemy?
    https://kafila.online/2020/04/05/knowability-and-unknowabiility-of-covid-19-is-there-class-in-the-coronavirus-panic-maya-john/#more-40188
  156. “In these four weeks since the national lockdown was announced, distressing stories of hunger and despair have been emerging from across the country. The Government of India’s relief package, the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), came late and is inadequate. On top of this, much of it has still not reached the people. Several economists, as well as rights-based campaigns, have been arguing for universalising the public distribution system (PDS) in the present context, especially given the fact of the extraordinarily high level of foodgrain stocks of over 75 million tonnes (MTs) in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).”
    https://thewire.in/rights/covid-19-lockdown-food-supply-pds
  157. “There are 36,000 rozgar sevaks in Uttar Pradesh working under various schemes who have not received an honorarium for the past 18 months. The UP government has racked up arrears of Rs 170 crore. Without clearing these dues, more rural workers have been recruited for identifying migrant labourers across villages and preparing reports on them to deal with the pandemic. Despite the task involving a major risk of infection, they have neither been provided personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks or gloves, nor have they been given medical insurance.”
    https://thewire.in/rights/uttar-pradesh-coronavirus-rozgar-sevaks-dues
  158. “India sees thousands of workers migrate overseas in search of job opportunities. In particular, there are an estimated 9 million Indian workers in GCC countries, most of whom are working in low-skilled jobs at low wages (which is still higher than the national minimum wage standard). There have been several reports of poor working conditions prevailing in these regions, with Qatar being the stark example where hundreds have died while engaging in construction activities. International migrant workers are particularly vulnerable during crisis situations like the one being faced by the world currently. Loss of jobs, absence of any social support, language barriers, discrimination for being foreign and poor living conditions collectively further accentuate inability to access public health facilities.” https://thewire.in/rights/is-india-neglecting-its-migrant-workers-abroad
    For more on the same, please read: https://thewire.in/labour/coronavirus-india-cannot-forget-its-migrant-workers-stranded-in-the-gulf
  159. “High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that she was distressed by the plight of the informal migrant workers affected, many of whom were, in effect, forced to leave the cities where they worked at just a few hours’ notice, unable to pay for rent or food.”
    https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1060922
  160. “The total number of active relief camps and shelters for migrant workers run by various State governments and NGOs are 22567 and 3909, respectively. The MHA report also shows that 15 lakh stranded migrant workers were given shelter and food by their own employers/industry following the COVID-19 lockdown.”
    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-centre-files-report-on-migrant-workers/article31283896.ece
  161. “Setting a unique example of self-awareness, seven tribal migrant labourers, who returned to Purulia district from Chennai, quarantined themselves one banyan and two mango trees. Since their families live in a single-room mud-hut, they realised their presence at home might invite danger to their family members. None of them entered their village.”
    https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/mar/28/west-bengal-migrant-labourers-who-returned-to-village-quarantine-themselves-on-banyan-tree-branches-2122629.html?fbclid=IwAR2cnaY3Z5U_ZEQ3dMLd6Io901LZnCtFQ3HKmYagBoCZAoW_7BEDd5YAhII
  162. “The coronavirus crisis is forcing hundreds of Venezuelan refugees and migrants to return home, as lockdown measures prevent them from earning a living. More could follow if the international community does not increase its funding to support the Colombian government’s pandemic response.”
    https://www.nrc.no/news/2020/april/colombia-venezuela-press-release/ For more on the same, read: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/06/americas/coronavirus-venezuela-refugees-intl/index.html
  163. “On the Greek island of Lesbos, tens of thousands of refugees are crammed together. One toilet is shared between over a hundred people, one shower between more than a thousand. Social distancing and washing your hands are simply not possible. A corona outbreak would be disastrous and is just a matter of time.”
    https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/eu_evacuate_refugee_camps_11/?bvEAIab&v=124758&cl=17003382187&_checksum=cf5bff942c111c78b5966c366dcc08aa43d952bb07dbd209bd325525a6691a10
  164. “There are a number of reasons why Italy has been so hard-hit, but a major one can be placed at the feet of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the xenophobic, rightwing League Party and his allies on the Italian right, including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.”
    https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/how-austerity-and-anti-immigrant-politics-left-italy-exposed/
  165. “While the Labour and Employment Ministry asked all Chief Ministers and Lieutenant-Governors to release funds directly into the accounts of construction workers using the cess collected by the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Boards, the Jan Sahas survey, conducted between March 27 and 29, found that 94 per cent of labourers did not have BOCW cards, making them ineligible for any transfer. Further, 14 per cent did not have ration cards and 17 per cent did not have bank accounts.”
    https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/article31286921.ece?fbclid=IwAR2-Ap6sZoLJyqvZwHE9r-3jpSLZP2YRyF4E2BanKagq5hJuaDR0u-Th9BA
  166. “A bench of the Supreme Court… while hearing a PIL by Harsh Mander and Anjali Bhardwaj seeking immediate payment of wages to migrant workers amid COVID-19 lockdown said that Court cannot interfere with the policy decisions of the government and that no payment of money to migrant workers were required since they were receiving food at the shelter homes.”
    https://www.indialegallive.com/constitutional-law-news/courts-news/sc-denies-need-payment-migrant-workers-says-food-provided-95054?fbclid=IwAR11n2UxZ8Z8y8c-wr9XLUZlyypiRkZ5sulwfgKE-jq1TlI5CmLb1Q5vOos
  167. ““Migrant labourers coming back here are facing social boycott. Nobody wants to go near them and there is no scope for any testing here. A villager coming from Delhi during Holi died after suffering from cough and cold, and was buried. It created a stir in the village and I had to inform the district authorities to check if he had died of coronavirus,” said Rakesh Jha, a Zilla Parishad member of Bhargawa village in Araria district.” https://theprint.in/india/no-one-wants-to-go-near-them-returning-migrant-workers-in-bihar-face-social-boycott/392081/
  168. “Thousands of migrant workers in India have been sprayed with a bleach disinfectant after they returned home during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.”
    https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4agm8w/india-is-spraying-migrant-workers-with-bleach-disinfectant-during-coronavirus-lockdown
    For some of the same, please read:
    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/30/india/india-migrant-workers-sprayed-intl/index.html
    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/up-govt-comes-under-sharp-attack-after-video-of-migrant-workers-being-sprayed-with-disinfectant-goes-viral/articleshow/74897189.cms?from=mdr
  169. “Monazir shares the accommodation with 16 others. All of them hail from neighbouring areas at Gosain Tola in Tulsibari of Madhepura. All of them have been confined to their rooms for fear of being assaulted by locals. They have not been able to go to the centres from where the Delhi government has been distributing food among the poor and needy.”
    https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/coronavirus-lockdown-migrants-pay-price-of-staying-back-in-delhi/cid/1762978?fbclid=IwAR0abaWm4WchSBUn4S1nuKz695QL5Caq5O9JkbWhnLOjZXUOqsiAh-Bms6Y
  170. “On March 22, almost the entire country stayed at home under the ‘Janata Curfew’ – except, of course, for the 5 p.m. crowds that congregated to express ‘gratitude’ to all health sector-related personnel. Sanitation workers, supposedly among those being showered with that gratitude, worked throughout the day, sweeping and cleaning the metro. “Our services are needed more than before,” says Deepika. “We have to wipe the virus off these streets.””
    https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/sanitation-workers—the-wages-of-ingratitude/
  171. “Roshan Lal, a 22-year-old migrant worker, committed suicide on Wednesday after he was allegedly humiliated and beaten up by the UP police for breaking quarantine rules.”
    https://www.groundxero.in/2020/04/03/coronovirus-lockdown-another-migrant-dalit-labour-commits-suicide/?fbclid=IwAR0L6QD0kSKNyrEbGVHjyOzuc0grY7s6N2mXN4q-FnZ1AX0DFmIBhDSjZUQ For more on the same, please read:
    https://www.groundxero.in/2020/04/01/coronavirus-lockdown-migrant-worker-from-shillong-commits-suicide-in-agra/?fbclid=IwAR1z9vBKjUrm7K3FG2hYzbLIrqCaDcAJAT6lZ9TLN3iaJ7JwBspMKmZw6T
  172. “At least 17 migrant labourers and their family members – including five children – have lost their lives so far in the course of their desperate efforts to return home since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on March 24 that a 21-day lockdown would kick off within four hours. The total number of lockdown-related deaths stands at 22.” https://thewire.in/rights/coronavirus-national-lockdown-migrant-workers-dead For more on the same, please read:
    https://www.thequint.com/news/india/covid-19-migrant-labourer-walks-200-kilometres-dies-delhi-to-agra?fbclid=IwAR0gMKZAYNmsiK5-xonysYTx45VEn2HCbZ50YbfDFDk4e1FSnyHkM1HE65o https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/coronavirus-with-17-migrant-workers-dead-lockdown-and-not-covid-19-claims-20-lives/cid/1760595
  173. “On 26 March, the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced packages under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana for those whose lives have been severely impacted by the lockdown. The total outlay for the scheme is Rs 1.7 lakh crore which aims to extend help to migrant workers, sanitation workers, Accredited Social Health Activists as well as urban and rural poor via direct benefit transfers to their accounts and through food rations availed via administrative routes.” https://caravanmagazine.in/news/we-are-deserted-migrant-workers-forced-to-walk-hundreds-of-kilometres-due-to-lockdown
  174. “Over 2000 daily wage workers and migrant labourers in Gujarat, mainly Ahmedabad, travelled all through Tuesday night on foot and by other means of transport to reach Rajasthan’s Bicchiwara tehsil on Wednesday afternoon, immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.”
    https://indianexpress.com/article/coronavirus/india-lockdown-rajasthan-migrant-workers-in-gujarat-leave-for-homes-on-foot-6330853/?fbclid=IwAR2mAaMAjcKAgPAc4hgxE40xJGqH5tYA0h118AEM2oIVJtZ8oTFz38zpkmw For more on the same, read: https://scroll.in/article/957245/coronavirus-after-lockdown-migrant-workers-take-a-long-walk-home-from-gujarat-to-rajasthan https://thewire.in/labour/coronavirus-lockdown-migrant-workers-walking-home
  175. “Most do not have access to pensions, sick leave, paid leave or any kind of insurance. Many do not have bank accounts, relying on cash to meet their daily needs. Lots are migrant workers, which means that they are technically residents of a different state to the one where they work. Then there is the problem of the floating population: people who do not live in any state for a long period as they move around to find work.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52002734?fbclid=IwAR2Pg1XItZpTiIcsalxcr70CV8zzTiXWznX4x4NwozDcEP-nBcfVa5CcXMw
  176. “India’s estimated 450 million other informal workers are facing a quandary that underlines how social inequality threatens to undermine virus containment efforts around the world. The informal sector makes up some 90 per cent of India’s total workforce and contributes about half of its GDP, but has no income security or health insurance and only limited access to health care.” https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3076714/coronavirus-indias-lockdowns-are-matter-life-and-death?fbclid=IwAR0BPLAXcvavJCSxG4Y3jaQWp9SVQfz5b2FH-XmmIekFp0IKwq2T7lO_bJE
  177. “Poor workers have been arrested and beaten by police for trying to put food on the table during coronavirus lockdowns, prompting warnings on Tuesday of social upheaval if aid is not delivered.” https://in.reuters.com/article/healthcare-coronavirus-workers-rights/poor-workers-trying-to-feed-families-jailed-abused-in-coronavirus-lockdowns-idINL8N2BB4W4
  178. “Street hawkers — the mainstay of any Indian bazaar, functioning from makeshift carts to offer street food and other goods — have been hit particularly hard, as have rickshaw pullers. While a large number of such workers, many of them migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, have left for home since late last week, some stayed back in the hope that things will get better.” https://theprint.in/india/homeless-with-no-income-migrant-labourers-wish-they-had-left-delhi-before-the-lockdown/387406/?fbclid=IwAR2FqpoJ6QTiNJaW_UCwrnZykhxIM9-yf0H-qeHw5tdXJE0_sj6Fpfbqydg
  179. “To enforce social distancing, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced sealing of state borders, among other restrictions, and shutting down of commercial establishments till 31 March… However, hundreds of thousands of labourers have been leaving Mumbai and Pune for their villages because gradual shutdown of operations beginning second week of March has meant they no longer have work now, and will have to struggle to make their ends meet.” https://www.firstpost.com/health/despite-maharashtra-lockdown-labourers-rushing-to-leave-mumbai-pune-in-jampacked-buses-face-coronavirus-threat-8183681.html For more on the same, read:
    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/migrant-workers-rush-home-coronavirus-outbreak-statewide-lockdow-curfew-6328696/
    https://in.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-india-migrants/poor-indians-flee-to-villages-as-coronavirus-measures-take-heavy-toll-idINKBN2180KX https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/india-wracked-by-greatest-exodus-since-partition-due-to-coronavirus
  180. “…travel restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, which has infected more than 245,000 people globally and killed more than 10,000, threaten to leave millions of South Asian migrant labourers without work.” https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-jobs-asia/hungry-stranded-and-broke-coronavirus-travel-bans-hit-migrant-workers-idUSL8N2BA7OW
  181. Poorly paid and often looked upon with hostility, at the best of times, their [migrant workers’] lives are precarious. At this moment of crisis, their alienation from cities, where many of their families have lived for generations, could be a significant factor in the further spread of the disease to India’s desperately poor hinterlands. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/india-fight-coronavirus-takes-toll-migrant-workers-200324084150540.html
  182. “From Jharkhand to Bihar and West Bengal, governments scrambled Monday to cope with the return of thousands of migrant workers from cities and states as far away as Kerala amid an unprecedented 10-day shutdown of rail and inter-state bus services to contain the coronavirus outbreak.”
    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/migrant-workers-rush-home-coronavirus-outbreak-statewide-lockdow-curfew-6328696/
  183. “Unskilled and semi-skilled migrant labourers are some of the worst hit by the shutdowns enforced by pandemic controlling protocols. It has tightened the squeeze from a scarce-jobs economy to a no-work economy. Scores of them are heading home. Many who had gone to their native villages for Holi have not returned and are unlikely to return soon as transport services have been disrupted and several states are enforcing shutdowns.”
    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coronavirus-may-have-long-lasting-impact-on-inter-state-migration/articleshow/74768291.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
  184. “Migrant workers leaving New Delhi after the lockdown’s announcement raise decades-old unaddressed questions. Who are these migrants? Why are they leaving their places of work and returning to their villages? And what rights do they have?” https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/address-the-gaps-to-help-migrant-workers-during-this-crisis-opinion/story-1TTIFickk6Ix5L4nGYDZBN.html
  185. COVID-19 Lockdown, Migrant Workers, and the Inadequacy of Welfare Measures in India by Stranded Workers Action Network
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wDEihZVhkPT2njuIBr30P34lyfPzC39JN1n9ppM3_v8/edit
  186. An interview with Prof. Manish Jha, a professor at the Tata Institue of Social Sciences, School of Social Work, who spoke about migrant workers abandoned by the very city which they call their “thikana”, a home away from home. https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/coronavirus/news/the-city-abandoned-its-migrant-workers/articleshow/75171489.cms
  187. “Access to adequate health care, including protective equipment and sufficient testing, will do more good than another hackathon”.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/opinion/coronavirus-surveillance-privacy-rights.html
  188. The momentary attention to the migrant exodus was overshadowed by other spectacles that were easily perceived as communal, suited to deflect attention and which positioned the state as proactive.
    https://thewire.in/rights/migrant-workers-lockdown
  189. “National and state governments can take a few urgent measures to reduce the suffering of Indians who are ‘the last, the least and the lost’ at this juncture, during this period of lockdown.”
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/inclusive-humane-lockdown-in-the-spirit-of-antyodaya-babasaheb-constitution/

Statistical information

Reports and Policy Documents

  • Urgent call to action: Protection of Nepali cross- border migrant workers: This report gives a detail about the crisis of thousands of migrant workers who forced to return their homes after losing jobs due to the sudden announcement of lockdown in March 2020. To read the full report prepared by Centre for Social Change and Nepal Institute for Peace (NIP)… CLICK HERE

Creative Assignments (Maps, Photo exhibitions, short films etc.)

  1. A short documentary on Kerala’s COVID-19 fight: A tale of two waves (20 May 2021): The documentary on the covid 19 crisis in Kerala shows how the state has been tackling the coronavirus pandemic since January 2020. It also focuses on various efforts taken by the government to strengthen the health system to tackle this deadly virus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPfSjv2zbCI
  2. Purgatory at Sea (The Outlaw Ocean Project, 6 May 2021): Last fall, The Outlaw Ocean Project spent time on a passenger vessel off the coast of Italy called La Suprema, which, along with a handful of other cruise ships, has served as a holding pen for migrants rescued from the Mediterranean. No journalist had previously been allowed on board any of these vessels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYUCwXVI7yU
  3. Migrant Workers Resistance Map: The map, produced by Migrant Workers Solidarity Network to show the journey of the migrant workers who lost their jobs during lockdown in 2020. This map shows the suffering of the migrant workers during their journey after announcing a sudden lockdown in 2020. https://mwsn.in/resistance-map

Links/Reviews/Discussions on COVID-19 book

  1. Covid 19 and Migrant Workers: Review of Borders of an Epidemic https://countercurrents.org/2020/04/covid-19-and-migrant-workers-review-of-borders-of-an-epidemic/

  2. Blog on SOAS: Borders of an epidemic: The Covid-19 War and Migrant Workers in India https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/lidc-mlt/2020/04/22/borders-of-an-epidemic-the-covid-19-war-and-migrant-workers-in-india/

  3. “In an interview, Ranabir Samaddar, the director of the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, speaks to The Wire about the factors behind the migrants’ desperation to reach home, the dynamics of the visibility and invisibility of migrant labour and the boundary making exercises in economy and governance that produce migrants.” https://thewire.in/rights/interview-ranabir-samaddar-migrant-workers-invisible

  4. “Very recently, Calcutta Research Group (CRG), under the editorship of RanabirSamaddar, has brought out a collection of essays around the lives and politics of migrant workers in India, focusing on COVID-19 (Borders of an Epidemic: COVID-19and Migrant Workers). In a sense, the collection represents “The Present as History”.” http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article9357.html

  5. Borders of an epidemic: The Covid-19 War and Migrant Workers in India https://indiaresists.com/borders-of-an-epidemic-the-covid-19-war-and-migrant-workers-in-india/

Videos

  1. Public Lecture by Prof. Ranabir Samaddar ‘A Pandemic and the Politics of Life’ organised by the Kerala Council for Historical Research, 14 June 2021 https://youtu.be/2kXVjo8Xg3o

  2. COVID-19 lockdown fear: Migrant workers leave Gururgam: As India continues to battle with second wave of Covid-19, several migrant workers in Gurugram were seen leaving for their native places due to Covid lockdown fear. A large number of people were seen standing at the bus stop https://www.deccanherald.com/video/national/north-and-central/covid-19-lockdown-fear-migrant-workers-leave-gurugram-976036.html

  3. SHRAMJEEVI When migrant workers began their long walks home, and some people started to see the reality of migrant working class, suddenly the shramjeevi experience came back to haunt us. The filmmakers had lived in Kapasehra, a village on the border of Delhi-Haryana (and some say the largest migrant locality in India) for about two months, trying to understand migrant lives and their visions. It was two months of surveillance, fear and violence. We are used to seeing militaristic controls on borders. We forget that in the heart of Indian capitalism the same command and control keep the workers subservient and make them desperately productive. 2015 | Director : Tarun Bhartiya https://vimeo.com/448091497

  4. Interest of migrant workers have found a prominent place in the labour code on occupational safety, health and working conditions with the legislation mandating that central and state governments maintain a database on a portal for such workers. The bill, which was presented in Parliament, also stipulates journey allowance for migrant workers, benefits of the public distribution system either in their native state or the state where they work. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/labour-code-mandates-travel-pds-benefits-for-migrant-workers/videoshow/78226573.cms

Facebook Videos

  1. Police assaulting migrant workers returning to their villages amidst lockdown.
    https://www.facebook.com/sarkar.supriyo/videos/10212885708257556/UzpfSTE4MzUzMjc3Mzc6MTAyMTI4ODU3MDg1Mzc1NjM/

  2. Thousands of migrant workers are stranded at the interstate bus terminus at Anand Vihar in Delhi after lockdown was announced and all inter-states borders were closed.
    https://www.facebook.com/687431760/posts/10156807929886761/?sfnsn=wiwspwa&extid=eJRkfyRVOEN6M5F5
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10163385600655224&set=a.10152818234510224&type=3&theater
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219727696615998&set=a.1535275274907&type=3&theater

  3. Migrant workers returning to UP are being sprayed at by the UP police in an attempt to “disinfect” them.
    https://www.facebook.com/rana.ayyub.7/videos/10157761459568935/UzpfSTc4Nzk1ODkzNDoxMDE1Nzc2MTQ1OTYzMzkzNQ/

  4. Mumbai Police beat up migrant workers in Bandra who gathered at the station demanding to go home.
    https://www.facebook.com/surjeetshyamal/videos/3158890224156133/?sfnsn=wiwspwa&d=w&vh=i&extid=nAbsNzyvpHCAwk7n

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