Novel Coronavirus # Federal # State Government Responsibility # Loss of Jobs # Salaries # Economic Crises

This virus is novel so scarcity & shortage may kill us first and India’s poor will need the administration’s urgent attention otherwise the fear is that poverty will kill them before the coronavirus can. ILO reports that in India, with a share of almost 90 per cent of people working in the informal economy, about 400 million workers in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the crisis.

The para-medical staff – attendants, security guard has to walk km to reach his/her work place; the municipality sweepers will not get one day off; the electricity & telephone department linesman, wireman’s and technicians, the million migrant workers with no food and shelter over their heads and still walking miles and miles although state borders sealed and those who died while walking how unfortunate they are as they couldn’t get a final goodbye from the family; and the small vegetable and groceries shopkeepers who are keeping supply going - they will all need substantial monetary aid.

 Federal and State Governments are reaching to help the poverty-stricken and penniless. India with a population of 138 crores spread in 0.65 million villages and approx 8K towns the management to handle the outsized population is a colossal task for the authorities.

Donations pour into Federal Funds, but how to channelize and reach to the utmost destitute, under privileged and those affected by some flu or fever to check and cover for assistance is question of the hour.

 Millions of Indians are down to the last penny, the middle class society in which we live wants to help those but the lockdown covered under the Disaster Management Act imposes restrictions to move out – imprisonment & fine, but volunteers are coming up and gearing for help to dead broke and almost on the breadline during the weekends.

 Sections of middle class and upper class are busy on Netflix, Instagram and complain of lack of options they have now, as they all are hanging at home. Their anger is present or future pay-cuts, no increments, no bonus, no annual variable pay and to some loss of jobs.

The larger and bigger question is sustainability of employees in Construction sector (Buildings, Highways, Roads) Manufacturing, IT & ITES and Service Sector including all the Start-ups. The protection of law is limited rather nothing as all Employment Laws are legislated post 1918-1920 the last Spanish flu and hence no protection has ever been thought of and legislated by Federal or by ILO in case of such epidemic which occurred after a century.

·      Will our Country write and legislate new employment laws and Federal and State to pay in case of such future epidemic rather pandemic for migrant workmen, for contractual workmen, for causal workmen, or workmen whose jobs are not stable in IT & ITES? Construction and Service sectors and where enactment is pitiful?  

·      What happens to these million workforce in absence of protective laws?

·      Who takes care of these sector employees and workforce?

 India do not have Federal laws and reserves to pay the millions unemployed. The State Government has to take up the responsibility of loss of jobs and wages and not the Private Employers. It has to owe up with own social security programs. No one has an answer; and the economy is in shambles, billions vanished in weeks, treasury almost gone and now the Lockdown gets extended further till April end or May mid/end for most of the states as there are red alerts and zones it will be confusion, chaos, turmoil and disorder.

 Stay Safe and Be Safe……….till 30th April 2020!

 Views Expressed are my Own