Covid-19 is not just a pandemic it's a situation of crisis that has critically affected agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and other services as well as the citizens at large. The central government imposed lock down and closed all the businesses when India reached around 500 cases. India is hiding at home scared of the disease but on the other hand we are witnessing the streets gripped by fear bigger than the virus. This nationwide lock down has critically dislocated the migrant population of the country , the incidents of the contrast that kept showing up at Bandra station in Mumbai , Yamuna Bank and Anand Vihar (ISBT) in Delhi, and the streets of Surat, the following incidents can be explained in simple terms, the people who left cities were poor in assets as well as they were earning livelihood and not loving on handouts. Unfortunately the public relief that has been offered is inadequate as of current situation has not reached many of those who need it.
Nearly half a billion people are employed in the informal sector and therefore dependent on daily or weekly earnings. The mass exodus of migrants from our cities has raised concerns over an impending economic crisis, Roughly 100 million migrant workers contribute to 10% of GDP and still there has been unwillingness to collect better dad on circular migrants and understand how they affect the economy . If most of the migrants were assured of safe shelter with food and adequate income supply or if the employers were given a duty to take care of them , the migrants wouldn't want to stream out of cities in such despair.
The huge gathering of migrant workers that took place at the Anand Vihar (ISBT) , in hopes of going back home reminds us of utter distress that has been cause to them because of the lock down . The reply of many individuals upon asking the reason for gathering diespite the nationwide lock down was that ongoing pandemic was least of their concern, some even talked about the troubles of not being able to procure even basic resources.
A month into quarantine the Union Home Ministry relaxed lock down measures to allow movement of migrant workers across state , but with strict health protocols. Despite demands by states to allow movement of stranded persons by running special trains, the center has allowed movement only through road using buses while adhering to social distancing, hygiene and sanitation.
While earlier government responses seemed to offer little or nothing, the government appears to have woken somewhat to the unfolding human tragedy , announcing a ₹ 3,500 cr. food support program for migrants , but exactly how the government will implement the program is not clear, obsessed as it is with establishing identity and registration when most circular migrants lack these documents.
Lastly, helping them migrants who are in debt and weakened by this situation is vital because of several reasons, firstly its the moral duty and also because a failure to do so will spell disaster for our country as a whole.
Therefore it is the duty as well as the responsibility of the government to prevent such situations to avoid the widening gap of income inequality and not to increase the complex situation of economic slowdown.