Workers’ welfare

THEY couldn’t become part of the desperate exodus that ensued after the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced. Lakhs of migrant workers were persuaded or coerced into not returning to their homes in other states. Jobless and agonisingly away from their families, many of them are staying in relief camps run by the respective governments and NGOs. They not only run the risk of contracting the deadly virus in the tightly packed places, where social distancing is far from feasible, but also have little or no money to send back home for running the household. On Sunday, the Centre asked various states and union territories to ensure compliance of the Supreme Court’s directions on mitigating the woes of labourers lodged in these camps across the country. The Union government’s directive came days after it had assured the apex court that Central and state authorities were ‘scrupulously discharging’ their responsibility of protecting every section of society. The fact that the Centre had to ‘remind’ the states and UTs of the job at hand shows that things are not progressing satisfactorily on the ground.

For the record, more than 22,000 government-run relief camps and shelters are functional in around 580 districts of India, while about 4,000 camps are operating under the aegis of NGOs. Together, these are apparently catering to over 1 crore people. On March 31, almost a week after the lockdown began, the Supreme Court had told the Centre to ensure food, potable water and medicines to workers who had been given shelter after being intercepted on the way to their native places. Another major challenge for the governments is to sanitise these camps amid the coronavirus outbreak. The purpose of the whole exercise would be defeated if such places turn into Covid hotspots.

Along with taking care of these people’s daily needs, it is also important to prevent them from sinking into depression and resorting to violence directed at themselves or others. Psychologically scarred, they should be treated with sensitivity by cops and other officials. The gradual resumption of industrial activity could help them get back into the groove.