Re: [IAC#RG] Migrant labour - suffering in present corona virus pandemic

My view may appear bizarre. But it is based on study of a biologist on the influence of integrity of territory on the integrity of a community. History also has influenced me. Besides Ghandhi's Swaraj concept in my view also supports.

Is Free Flow of immigrants between states for that matter even districts/ villages conducive to harmony of the communities, the local and the immigrants? 

RN Radhakrishnan 

On Fri 15 May, 2020, 00:53 ravindra malhotra, <indiaresists@lists.riseup.net> wrote:

In this forum there has been endless discussion on irrelevant issues, personal allegations and rebukes, while the issues at present killing a chunk of population is forgotten. 

We have been reading in papers and listening in news heartrending stories of plight of migrant labour in India - walking hundreds of miles or trying to walk with their meagre belongings on their head, children and women including pregnant women in toe, hungry and exhausted. Some perished  on the way. This inspite of arrangement for their stay and food having been ordered by the centre and the state governments.  While millions availed of hospitality of state, thousands kept on trying to flee or actually fled on foot. Even today the highways are teeming with these miserable people walking,some pulling their children on carts, some spending all their savings in payment to truck drivers, but still unsuccessful in reaching their destination. 

What went wrong? I have the following take -

Our bureaucracy have no category of 'migrant labour' in their books. They have SC's, ST's, OBC'c, BPL's, ultra Bpl's in their books but no migrant labour as a category. It resulted in the fact that they were forgotten when the lock down was imposed, and  their  existence and problems were realised only when they started collecting at inter state borders in thousands all over India. 

Same is the status of politicians vis-a-vis migrant labour..  Migrant labour is no voter for any one, as he works in the state or constituency where he does not have voting rights. At the time of elections, he is not in the constituency for which he has voting rights, as a migrant labour he is working elsewhere and does not have the money and time to go to his home only for voting. No political personnel or political party is therefore interested in them and their welfare is left to some NGO's with limited resources. They have no advocates for them out of  public representatives in state or central govt. The attitude of bureaucracy is also probably in large extent due to this fact of political apathy. 

The Central Govt has , after their initial forgetfulness about this category of people, ha announced many measures including their sheltering and feeding. Implementation has evidently not been that sincere. It is the public representatives, who advise their people about what the Govt is doing for them and also take their grievances to the governments. This was lacking due to reasons given above, leaving the labour un satisfied and dis satisfied resulting in their clamour to go back to their states. Some states have now been giving them calls to stay back as large scale exodus from the state of their work has started now with ease of restrictions, while their presence is now required to restart the economic activity. 

Centre has announced a monetary assistance to migrant labour..But how are these people moving on the highways, collected outside railway stations, living/resting on pavements to know? Political parties and their support organisation that claim to be NGO's could have helped if their volunteers, who are deputed for convassing during elections, are deputed to guide correctly these pitiable people. But of course these people are not voters - so who cares!

   

If anyone has a view on the issues of migrant labour, it will be interesting to know.

R.N.Malhotra

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