MIGRANT LABOR CRISIS IN INDIA

-RISHABH AGGARWAL

As the corona-virus pandemic tears the economic and social fabric of the country,
shoving even the slightest of the vulnerable classes into a vicious cycle of debt and
exploitation, labor remains one of the most affected communities out of all. Now,
with no source of income or food, these poverty-stricken and malnourished workers
walk down the roads of the future which for them remains uncertain and
unpromising.

During this crisis when the privileged class is confined to their homes, the labor
community’s desperate but futile efforts to return to their villages reveal the
inefficiency and inadequacy of the Government's administrative systems. The grave
mishandling of a good policy lockdown landed millions in a state of despair, without
jobs, food, transportation. With many reports suggesting the exploitation suffered by
the migrant community, the severity of the situation gradually unfolds as unlike the
mainstream television media which continuously attempts to divert public attention
through selective silence and propaganda expansion, the print media continues to
publish the plight of the workers. From collecting in thousands around bus and
railway stations to walking or peddling down thousands of kilometers after failed
efforts from the government to bring some respite to the appalling migrants.

Despite the government providing shelter camps, foods, buses, and trains to the
labor, relief has not reached all. Various state governments have charged train and
bus fares from the migrants at a time when their survival is at stake. The condition
has been so pathetic that some have even committed suicide on a mere cancellation
of a train ticket. With reports of stranded workers covering thousands of kilometers
in a concrete mixture, on May 8, the nation was horrified by the unsettling news of a
train which crushed 16 laborers who were in a desperate situation to reach home
even if it meant to travel on foot. When a teenage girl Jyoti cycled for over 8 days
carrying her injured father to reach their home in Bihar, this garnered international
attention which brought nothing more than shame. These events were enough to
highlight the heart-rending condition of the exploited labor class.

Even after such grave consequences of poor policymaking and an administrative

framework that is crippling in corruption and vote bank politics, the Union Labour
Minister Santosh Kumar is yet again nowhere to be seen. With a battle-scarred
economy, the center is desperately trying to plunge their hands into dirty politics,
the pandemic reveals the need for a collective effort to cope up with the losses.
Media has already been bowled out of the ground as the prime news channels
continue to ignore the sufferings of the workers. Although the government has been
doing its bit but more migrant focusing policies are required.

During a time when the stranded labor requires the cover of good security to survive
and when hunger is more fatal than the coronavirus itself, the Uttar Pradesh
Government approved a draft ordinance to do away with key labor laws in the state.
Although the center's approval is necessary, the ordinance comes out as a shock to
various NGOs and activists. The intent behind the ordinance is to attract investment
and cope up with the economic losses, but does that mean it has to be done on the
lives of the labor. If approved, this will further crush the lives of the poor with no
income, and no rights.

As the state advocates that laws related to women and children will remain, various
data and reports from key international organizations such as ILO, UNICEF, End of
Childhood Index show that in the past, despite having laws against child labor, the
country has been one of the largest employers of child labor. So at a ground level
when the country was already facing the problem of child labor and women
exploitation at workplaces in the unorganized sector, the abolition of key labor laws
will further push the helpless in a state of despair, exploitation, and sexual abuse.
With no labor laws, and men of the family earning very less and further subjected to
abuse, the other family members will be bound to involve in illicit and immoral
activities for survival. As poverty remains the main driving force of child labor and
forced prostitution, and sex trafficking. Even after the lockdown with no such
ordinance, there will be an upsurge in women prostitution, trafficking, and child
labor all of which is to earn a put a loaf of stale bread in their stomachs for survival.
And with this ordinance, the scale of exploitation will be unprecedented.

The unorganized sector continues to indulge in child marriages as the lack of money
drives them to a forced decision, the pandemic will result in an increasing number of
child brides. According to UNICEF reports one in 3 child brides are from India and this
is slated to rise given the increasing poverty and fewer resources. What about
education? As financially sound institutions shift to online teaching, the children of
workers are now in a complex situation of whether will they be able to go to a govt
school ever again. As the worker's desperation pushes them to the brink of human
endurance and strength, their will to strive for a better future is starting to break.

With Cyclone Amphan hitting West Bengal, Odisha, and other neighboring states, the
migrant labor is again left stranded in a dilemma and a state where their homes have
been washed away. Many have reported that the helpline numbers provided by the
government are always busy, some have reported harassment at the hands of police
constables on roads and stations. So where should they go? Surely, not on the
tracks.

Interim relief from the government might help them, but is the government really
trying to uplift the poor class? Is Vocal for Local only for businesses and not the
stranded workers fighting for their lives against malnutrition, coronavirus, and most
importantly hunger? As 1000s of buses are stranded on UP border carrying hundreds
of migrants, the Government is involving in politics at the time when the Prime
Minister opined for a collective effort.

The road ahead for the stranded workers in long, surrounded by voices of misery,
and death. They have walked without food, water, and support as corruption eats
out their opportunities and their rights. Strongly criticizing the government won't do
much if corruption remains the root cause of the problem but it is on the officials
and the courts to ensure proper implementation of policies. Further, the
government has to work for the migrants and the mainstream media has to perform
its duties and refrain from spreading propaganda.

The future of the labor as it seems is covered in soot concealing their plight, misery,
exploitation, and the inadequacy of the government systems, all of which could have
been solved if there was little more awareness. Various NGOs and individuals have
taken up the responsibility of the government to look after the stranded workers.
This has prompted a series of memes on social media platforms that have indirectly
spread awareness about the dreadful condition of migrant workers. But is this
enough? Are the policies, their implementation, and their results enough? Think
India, think, and question.