LETTERS

Issn 0012-9976
Ever since the first issue in 1966,
EPW has been India’s premier journal for Impact of the Lockdown on To ascertain the estimates of the most
comment on current affairs
and research in the social sciences. Urban Livelihoods affected sectors and workers from the
It succeeded Economic Weekly (1949–1965), PLFS, we have chosen the top five affected
which was launched and shepherded
by Sachin Chaudhuri,
who was also the founder-editor of EPW.
As editor for 35 years (1969–2004)
Krishna Raj
M ost of the world’s informal workers
are from developing countries, and
most of them would be the worst affected
sectors and top 10 vulnerable occupations
in urban areas.
The analysis from the unit record data of
gave EPW the reputation it now enjoys. by COVID-19. There are severe concerns for the PLFS 2017–18 shows that, in urban are-
Editor low-paid and low-skilled informal workers as, about 93 million informal workers are
GOPAL GURU in low- and middle-income countries, involved in five sectors that are the most
Executive Editor where the industries and services have a affected, namely manufacturing (28 mil-
Lina Mathias
high proportion of such workers, who lion), trade, hotel and restaurant (32 mil-
SENIOR Assistant editorS
lubna duggal
account for 61% of the global workforce or lion), construction (15 million), transport,
INDU K two billion people, and they lack any social storage and communications (11 million),
Sunipa Dasgupta protection or safety net. This sudden loss of and finance, business and real estate
copy editorS livelihood would be horrifying for them. (seven million). As many as 50% of these
jyoti shetty
Tejas Harad The Indian economy, especially the informal workers are engaged in self-
Assistant editors
informal or unorganised sector, has been employment, 20% are casual workers on
Nachiket kulkarni witnessing an unprecedented slowdown, daily wages, and 30% are salaried or con-
SHRUTI JAIN downturn, and unemployment in recent tract workers without any social safety net.
editorIAL Assistant months; this has aggravated due to the Due to the lockdown, all economic
Malvika Sharad
COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the lock- activities (with the exception of essential
CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER
J DENNIS RAJAKUMAR
down. In light of the vulnerable and life- and emergency services) related to phys-
risking situation of the migrant workers, ical labour at workplaces are banned.
production
suneethi nair the governments, non-governmental or- Therefore, about 93 million urban infor-
Circulation ganisations, employers, and even the mal workers in these five sectors have been
KULDEEP NAWATHE Supreme Court stepped in to cater to the the most hit. This is the largest informal
Advertisement Manager plight of those who work in informal sector worker group next only to agricul-
Kamal G Fanibanda sectors. As a result, 26,000 shelters (for ture and allied activities, and is greater in
General Manager & Publisher 1.5 million migrant workers) and over size than the populations of most of the
Gauraang Pradhan
38,000 food camps were set up across the countries in the world, for example,
editorial: edit@epw.in
Circulation: circulation@epw.in
country in the initial weeks of the lock- United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, etc.
Advertising: advertisement@epw.in down, which took care of more than 10 In urban areas, informal workers tend to
Economic & Political Weekly million people together for food and work in sectors that are directly affected
320–322, A to Z Industrial Estate around two million for shelter, supported by lockdown measures and carry a high
Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel
Mumbai 400 013 by the government, NGOs and employers risk of virus infection, such as rag picking,
Phone: (022) 4063 8282 as on 12 April 2020. street vending, food stalls, construction,
According to the Periodic Labour transport, and domestic help. The current
EPW Research Foundation
EPW Research Foundation, established in 1993, conducts Force Survey (PLFS) 2017–18, about 90% nationwide lockdown in India has
research on fi nancial and macro-economic issues in India.
(or 419 million) workers are engaged in severely affected informal workers and
Director
J DENNIS RAJAKUMAR
the informal sector out of the total 465 forced many of them to either stay in
C 212, Akurli Industrial Estate million workers in the country. A large shelters or return to their native places.
Kandivali (East), Mumbai 400 101 number of informal workers (62%) are Besides these informal workers, many
Phones: (022) 2887 3038/41
epwrf@epwrf.in engaged in farm or agricultural activities persons involved in the organised sector
Sameeksha TrusT in rural areas compared to only 8% in (unregistered firms) who may not be job-
(Publishers of Economic & Political Weekly) urban areas, as per which there is going less at present can find themselves with-
Board of Trustees
Deepak Nayyar, Chairman to be less impact on their livelihoods and out a job after the lockdown period is over,
Shyam Menon, Managing Trustee employment by the lockdown than on if many enterprises refuse to take them
André Béteille, D N Ghosh, that of informal workers engaged in urban
Deepak Parekh, Romila Thapar,
Rajeev Bhargava, Dipankar Gupta, areas in non-farm sectors, that is, 92%. Note to ReadersI
N Jayaram, SUDIPTO MUNDLE These informal workers’ livelihoods are
Dear Readers,
Printed and published by Gauraang Pradhan, for and likely to be affected more by the lockdown
on behalf of Sameeksha Trust and printed at Due to certain logistical reasons we are com-
Modern Arts and Industries, 151, A–Z Industrial Estate, because of the halt in economic activities. bining the 11 July 2020 issue of EPW with the
Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai–400 013
and published at 320–322, A–Z Industrial Estate, About 419 million of such informal work- 18 July issue. You could access the 11 July
Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai–400 013 2020 issue along with the 18 July 2020 issue.
ers are at the risk of losing their livelihood
Editor: Gopal Guru (Editor responsible for Hope you would appreciate our difficulty.
selection of news under the PRB Act) and falling into deeper poverty.
4 JUNE 27, 2020 vol lV nos 26 & 27 EPW Economic & Political Weekly

back. Many self-employed persons like
street vendors and other small entrepre-
neurs may not be left with the capital to
restart their businesses, and many may
not return from their native places.
Of these, the casual workers are the
most vulnerable due to the unpredictable
nature of their work and daily wage
payment, which are highest in the
construction sector. Added precautions
like social distancing, contact tracing,
and strict health controls over entry at
workplaces and markets would also
have an impact on the employer–worker
relationship, thereby proving to be a
massive departure from the casual
business-as-usual approach.
There is a silver lining for gig work
(such as online delivery services), highly
skilled professional and technology in-
terface sectors, which has been positive-
ly affected by the pandemic crisis. Less
than one-tenth of the workforce, those
in regular salaried or essential services
businesses and self-employment, will
continue to receive their regular income.
So, the government today has a dual
challenge to provide immediate assistance
to: first, informal workers who have lost
their jobs, and second, those who are
already unemployed and are looking for
jobs. The time to demonstrate seriousness
in attaining the “antyodaya” through
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana–
National Rural Livelihoods Mission,
Aajeevika, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyo-
daya Yojana–National Urban Liveli-
hoods Mission (DAY–NULM), Skill India,
Digital India, National Smart Cities Mis-
sion, RURBAN mission, etc—is now.
Balwant Singh Mehta, Arjun Kumar
New Delhi
Changing Indo–China Relations
A contrasting response to a grim situ-
ation through a number of dia-
logues has blatantly failed to de-escalate
the crippling crisis of 15 June 2020 in the
present geopolitical conditions between
the two nuclear-power states of India
and China. This conflict has created a
new historical scene, which perhaps has
not been seen in the last 45 years of ties
between the two nations. How far it can
go is yet to be ascertained.
Economic & Political Weekly EPW JUNE 27, 2020
India–China relations are immensely
critical for the emergence of a multipolar
world. Changing scenarios and building
differentiation can severely unbalance
the stability in the neighbourhood and
damage the growth prospective of mul-
tilateral organiations like the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation and BRICS. It
is time when both the nations must sit
together and reconsider their challenges
to leverage the best possible recoveries
to maintain peace and tranquility at the
Indo–China border. Unsettled disputes
can inflict a higher degree of challenges
for India, especially when we are com-
pletely clueless about the development
of a manufacturing hub. Declining con-
sumption and unrest in the agricultural
sector are not conducive and favourable
for healthy businesses. A particular skill
set and better infrastructure are the pre-
requisites for attracting foreign direct
investments (FDIs) in the manufacturing
sector. Moreover, the rising percentage
of import dependence has further pres-
surised the Indian government to balance
its trade deficit account and relocate its
road of economic progress at a time
when nations have turned into protec-
tionist regimes. All these factors can mu-
tate a new virus and pose a threat to an
“Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-reliant India).
If India wants to see a win–win position,
then it must seriously take these argu-
ments into consideration to improve its
market structure and quality of products
for displaying an environment-friendly
outlook and pursuing better business.
A way forward must ensure to achieve
a more holistic understanding of China’s
intentions that are very often involved in
disrupting India’s strategic foreign diplo-
macy. But, this time, the news trickling
in from the Galwan valley clash-off has
taken this warfare to a next level. Given
the grim battlefield, the political leadership
must not take the back seat and betray
our soldiers. India must introspect timely
EPW Engage
The following articles have been published in the past week in the EPW Engage section (www.epw.in/engage).
(1) Stay Home, Stay Safe: Interrogating Violence in the Domestic Sphere—Rukmini Sen
(2) Citizenship (Amendment) Act: The Pitfalls of Homogenising Identities in Resistance Narratives
—D Parthasarathy
(3) Madhya Pradesh: The Dislodging of the Congress Government Leaves BJP with a Pyrrhic Victory
—Rakesh Dixit
vol lV nos 26 & 27
LETTERS
and engage to protect its undermined
status quo. Lessons for India should be
about “not taking its traditional neighbours
for granted.” Otherwise, it has to bear their
unacceptable tactics, resulting in the in-
fringement of national security and breach
of well-settled international treaties.
Instead of playing an ugly game of poli-
tics, both nations must acknowledge the
fact that there cannot be a better emer-
gence of 21st-century Asia without the pos-
itive collaboration of these two Asian pow-
ers. To manoeuvre better development and
prosperity in the region, mutual under-
standing and negotiations must prevail to
enhance the appreciation of each other’s
policies and actions. Commemorating the
leaders of both the nations, it was agreed
prudently during the informal summit to
manage their differences and not allow the
issues to turn into disputes. These recog-
nised words need new strengthening
bonds to heighten their respect and regard
for each other’s freedom of choices and
decision-making without compromising
their national peace and stability.
Rajesh Raj
Buxar
Corrigendum
In the article “Crossroads and Boundaries:
Labour Migration, Trafficking and Gender,”
by Indrani Mazumdar and Neetha N (EPW, 16
May 2020), the figures in the line “from around
41 lakh in 2001 to 85 lakh in 2011” should have
read as 30 lakh and 45 lakh, respectively.
The error has been corrected on the EPW
website.
Errata
In the article “A New Framework for Social
Science,” by Bruce Kapferer (EPW, 20 June
2020), the price of the book should have read
as `1,100 instead of `4,339.
In the article “Decoding Ayushman Bharat: A
Political Economy Perspective,” by Shailender
Kumar Hooda (EPW, 20 June 2020), “not
incurred” and “incurred in GFHI” in Figure 4
should have read as “not insured” and “insured
in GFHI,” respectively.
The errors have been corrected on the EPW
website.
The errors are regretted —Ed
5
LETTERS
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6 JUNE 27, 2020 vol lV nos 26 & 27 EPW Economic & Political Weekly