Migrant Workers In India- A Story of endless sufferings

Migrant Workers In India- A Story of endless sufferings

courtesy logicalindia.com

While walking on highway to home, many stranded migrant workers met with an accident and lost their lives. Whenever we listen or watch this sort of news on media we filled up with sympathy for them that very soon vanishes. The Government as a ritual announces compensation amounts for deceased and injured. With this it is assumed that the cost of lives has been paid and the matter comes to the end. We seldom care to contemplate the circumstances that caused such grief to them. The economic development in a country mostly led by a capitalistic perspective does not consider labor classes of people as a center point for any economic planning. They are out of the purview. Plans, whatever are prepared mostly allot a meager amount for them make grants either through subsidy or grant of food grains as if they are a social liability for whom we are supposed to make some charity.

The very fact is forgotten, that the skyscrapers in glooming cities, factories, industries, highway, railway tracks on which we boast on as they are the outcome of our sleek financial planning cannot be achieved without hard work of these laborers. The migrant workers stranded in big cities during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak tell and exposes the dark realities of our system. While a large chunk of middle class enjoyed the month-long lockdown, the migrant workers are grappling with situation threatening their survival. With the loss of income, they had nothing to eat, feed their children, and afford fares to come back home and many more. In the circumstances of total despair, they were compelled to take very hazardous decision to march on the road on foot back to home thousands K.M away to reunite with their families. They bore all the sufferings on the way, many of them lost their lives, but they were determined to leave the cities which promised them a livelihood. A sense of betrayal prevailed in them.

To contain the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, lockdown across the country was all of sudden announced unilaterally by the Government giving no time to these stranded migrant workers to be prepared. They had a number of difficulties already haunting them. The sudden lockdown took all their means of livelihood. The challenges bigger than coronavirus were before them….to fight with hunger and to keep alive their dependents. Though the government tried to provide a free meal to all stranded workers the real problem was that the government had no exact data of migrant workers, so plan, prepared in haste to provide free meals to them was bound to fail. This is evident by the admission made by a number of stranded workers, that they were starved and were not provided any food. The worst thing was that the workers who earned their means by hard work and honestly came down to the level of the beggar. The lockdown took away everything from them. For them not coronavirus pandemic but the lockdown was a disaster.

An effective measure to contain coronavirus outbreak was certainly a countrywide lockdown, the effectiveness of which was seen in some western countries and China. But could the measure adopted in those countries also be applied to a country like India where a major chunk of the population earns their livelihood on a daily basis and work as a migrant laborer far away from their home. Does a similar condition prevail in this country too to announce lockdown suddenly?

The fact is that the government had miscalculated the consequences of lockdown by not taking into account the matter of stranded migrant workers. There were certain shortcomings in the planning. The system failed to manage the case of migrant workers before taking such a strict action to contain the outbreak of a pandemic. Neither the stranded workers were provided with food properly, nor were they given time or transported to their home in the beginning. The capitalistic approach came to play again, as the measure like lockdown was appropriate for upper and middle-class people to whom these migrant workers provide their services.

Marching millions of hungry and shattered people on the road back home is a disaster not caused by nature but by the failure of the system.

Comments

Soldier killed in encounter with terrorists in J-K's Pulwama https://ift.tt/2XGQfvf

A soldier was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday. After receiving information about the presence of terrorists, security forces launched a search operation in an orchard in Kamrazipora village of Pulwama in the early hours of the day.

New top story from Time: A Conversation with Filmmaker Adam Curtis on Power, Technology and How Ideas Get Into People’s Heads

https://ift.tt/2NQRzcY The British filmmaker Adam Curtis may work for the BBC, a bastion of the British elite, but over a decades-long career, he has cemented himself as a cult favorite. He is best known as the pioneer of a radical and unique style of filmmaking, combining reels of unseen archive footage, evocative music, and winding narratives to tell sweeping stories of 20th and 21st century history that challenge the conventional wisdom. “I’ve never thought of myself as a documentary maker,” he says. “I’m a journalist.” On Feb. 11, Curtis dropped his latest epic: Can’t Get You Out of My Head , an eight hour history of individualism, split up over six episodes. Subtitled “An emotional history of the modern world,” the goal of the series, Curtis says, was to unpack how we came to live in a society designed around the individual, but where people increasingly feel anxious and uncertain. It’s a big question, and Curtis attempts to answer it by taking us on a winding journ...

New top story from Time: America’s War in Afghanistan Is Over. But in the Horn of Africa, its War On Terror Rages On

https://ift.tt/2ZEtko9 In a remote corner of eastern Africa, behind tiers of razor wire and concrete blast walls, it’s possible to get a glimpse of America’s unending war on terrorism. Camp Lemonnier, a 550-acre military base, houses U.S. special-operations teams tasked with fighting the world’s most powerful al-Qaeda affiliates. Unfolding over miles of sun-scorched desert and volcanic rock inside the tiny country of Djibouti, the base looks—the troops stationed here will tell you—like a sand-colored prison fortress. Inside, two subcamps sit behind opaque 20-ft. fences ringed with yet more razor wire. The commando teams emerge anonymously from behind the gates and board lumbering cargo planes to fly across Djibouti’s southern border with Somalia for what they call “episodic engagements” with local forces fighting al-Shabab , al-Qaeda’s largest offshoot. General Stephen Townsend, commander of military operations in Africa, describes it as “commuting to work.” The Pentagon has ...

New top story from Time: ‘We’re Nowhere Close to the Deal’. Coronavirus Aid Package Talks Break Down as Trump Rejects Help for Cities

https://ift.tt/3098lHW WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed Democratic demands for aid to cash-strapped cities in a new coronavirus relief package and lashed out at Republican allies as talks stalemated over assistance for millions of Americans. Another lawmaker tested positive for the virus. Republicans, beset by delays and infighting, signaled a willingness to swiftly approve a modest package to revamp a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that’s running out. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., roundly rejected that approach as meager, all but forcing Republicans back to the negotiating table. Without action, the aid expires Friday. “We’re nowhere close to the deal,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. He said they’re “miles apart.” Stark differences remain between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans, a standoff that is testing Trump and Congress ahead of the November election and putting...

How Muni is Tackling the 10 Worst Delay Hot Spots Across SF

How Muni is Tackling the 10 Worst Delay Hot Spots Across SF By Cassie Halls The SFMTA has had its fair share of ribbon-cutting ceremonies over the last two years. These celebrations draw attention to some of our biggest projects. Also attention-worthy are some of the more incremental efforts happening at the agency. One such effort led by the Muni Forward team is the Transit Delay Hot Spots Program , launched in February 2020 . Muni Forward is known for corridor projects such as the L Taraval Improvement Project , 16 th Street Improvement Project , and M Oceanview Transit and Safety Project . These efforts are increasing the already sizeable 80 miles of transit reliability upgrades since 2014. There are also other ways we’re working to slash travel times and improve reliability across the Muni network. The Transit Delay Hot Spots Program aims to tackle the 10 worst “delay hot spots” each year, where buses crawl between stops at four miles an hour or less. We’re looking cl...

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People By Robert Lim Have you ever wondered how traffic signals could better balance the needs of all road users, whether driving, bicycling, walking or taking Muni? The SFMTA is rolling out its Connected Corridor Pilot this month to use transit platform and traffic signal sensor data to inform signal timing adjustments. The pilot also aims to collect information to support transit efficiency and street safety improvements. Traffic engineers use signal timing adjustments as a tool to prioritize the flow of travel in specific directions or for different travel modes – Muni, people walking or driving – to meet the changing demands of the road network across different timepoints in a day. The Connected Corridors Pilot seeks to push the envelope of innovation by investing in advanced technologies, funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant. These tools will better position the city to serve the potential future ne...

Burundi to Vote in Tense General Election in Shadow of Virus Outbreak as President Steps AsideWhile Ethiopia decided to delay its election this year due to the pandemic, Burundi has pushed forward with the vote at all costs.

While Ethiopia decided to delay its election this year due to the pandemic, Burundi has proceeded with the vote at all costs. Burundians is going to vote Wednesday in a stressful general election, in spite of a huge outbreak of coronavirus which is necessarily impending first major challenge for the new president. President Pierre Nkurunziza, who has been in power since 2005, shocked observers by deciding to step aside, five years after a controversial third-term run plunged his country into political and economic crisis. while Ethiopia decided to delay its election this year due to the pandemic, Burundi has pushed forward with the vote at all costs, with heaving crowds of thousands attending political rallies, with only buckets of water and soap available as a nod to the virus. Burundi has so far officially recorded only 42 cases and one death from the virus, but doctors and the opposition accuse the government of hiding the true extent of the outbreak. The government has...

Vaccine-Related Service Changes Go into Effect November 1

Vaccine-Related Service Changes Go into Effect November 1 By Mariana Maguire An SFMTA staff person receives the COVID-19 vaccine at the Woods Muni Maintenance Division To address operator shortages due to the city’s mandate that only vaccinated employees may work after November 1 , the SFMTA will temporarily suspend “short” line service on a few Muni lines. Short service refers to buses that run on a segment of a longer Muni route to help improve frequency on higher-ridership portions of the line. The long routes on these lines will continue to operate, connecting customers where they need to go. There will be no cancellation of any Muni routes in response to staffing challenges associated with the city’s vaccine mandate. Starting November 1, we are planning to temporarily suspend the 1 California Short , 14R Mission Rapid Short (weekends only), 30 Stockton Short, and 49 Van Ness Short (on weekdays only). These changes are intended to reduce impacts to service systemwide,...

Bus Testing on the New Van Ness BRT Corridor a Success

Bus Testing on the New Van Ness BRT Corridor a Success By Nehama Rogozen Muni and Golden Gate Transit staff recently conducted important bus operations testing that is an important step towards the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor opening this spring. This testing included emergency turns and maneuvers, repositioning buses, verifying signals are working, clearances between passing buses and safe turns while bike racks are deployed. The training also included several staff. Traffic engineers made sure traffic and transit signals were working and reviewed street markings. Transportation planners coordinated closely with operations, training, engineering and construction staff to make necessary adjustments. Outreach staff and ambassadors answered questions and made sure customers knew testing was taking place. Field manager...

CAA likely to be implemented from January: Kailash Vijayvargiya https://ift.tt/3gfxcjE

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is likely to be implemented from January next year, as the Central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are keen to grant citizenship to the large refugee population in West Bengal, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Saturday. The BJP national general secretary accused the TMC government of not being sympathetic to the cause of the refugees.

My precise view

Search This Blog