Recently, PM Modi introduced a 21-day nation-wide lockdown in India. And while it is a necessary step, it has left devastating repercussions for the section of society ill-equipped to deal with a lockdown.
In an eye-opening video, journalist Ravish Kumar has talked about how, while most of us have the privilege to work and complain from the comfort of our homes, many don’t even have access to basic essentials like home and food.
At the same time, he also remarked that comparing the nation-wide lockdown to the situation in Kashmir, simply because we still have access to more services than what people living in Kashmir were allowed.
NDTV interacted with a group of migrant workers who had been walking for days, carrying children on their shoulders, trying to reach their home town. The group had no means of staying back in Delhi.
These migrant workers plan to cover a distance of 165 km, from Delhi to Aligarh, on foot. The government’s help, they believe, will reach them in their villages only – not in the streets of Delhi.
Just like them, there are many other workers who may not be able to receive the government’s relief fund, because of a lack of registration. And workers, who are either too weak or too old to travel, are stuck on the highways, scared of being attacked by the police and desperate for food.
You can watch the complete interaction here:
While the government has dedicated funds for the daily wage earners, it does appear that the message hasn’t reached the very community it aims to help. For this section of society, hunger still remains a bigger threat than the Coronavirus.
All images are from the video posted on YouTube.
