‘Now Is The Time To Show India Cares About Its Migrants’

This came through graphically in the chaotic scenes near a railway station in Mumbai on Tuesday, shortly after the Prime Minister’s announcement, as thousands of workers gathered, some demanding food, others transport to their villages. He was also part of an expert panel providing technical support to the fourth administrative reforms commission in refining welfare laws for marginalised populations in Kerala. This lockdown has made these historically invisible internal migrants--such as urban workers and seasonal labourers--visible to mainstream India and their plight is out in the open for everyone to see. The issue in Kottayam [where migrant workers defied the lockdown and demanded food and transport back to their native places] received attention in the media. Further, some of the assurances given to migrants are creating a negative effect because the locals feel that these workers are being prioritised at a time when everyone is distressed and frustrated due to the lockdown. This came through graphically in the chaotic scenes near a railway station in Mumbai on Tuesday, shortly after the Prime Minister’s announcement, as thousands of workers gathered, some demanding food, others transport to their villages. He was also part of an expert panel providing technical support to the fourth administrative reforms commission in refining welfare laws for marginalised populations in Kerala. This lockdown has made these historically invisible internal migrants--such as urban workers and seasonal labourers--visible to mainstream India and their plight is out in the open for everyone to see. The issue in Kottayam [where migrant workers defied the lockdown and demanded food and transport back to their native places] received attention in the media. Further, some of the assurances given to migrants are creating a negative effect because the locals feel that these workers are being prioritised at a time when everyone is distressed and frustrated due to the lockdown.