A survey of migrant workers in distress in Delhi under the COVID-19 lockdown has shown that 65% of the respondents had not received any form of government support, either in the form of dry ration or cooked meals.
A majority of respondents who received food support said that the amount was inadequate.
The telephonic survey was conducted by the Delhi units of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) that have been working to provide relief material to migrant workers stranded in the NCR.
The survey was conducted with 506 “group leaders” representing 8,870 workers between April 10 and April 18, the CPI(M) said.
“6% of the respondents do not have a ration card or Aadhaar card making them ineligible for the Delhi government’s policy of providing dry ration,” the survey said, adding that 3.5% of the respondents did not have a ration card, AADHAR card or a bank account making them ineligible for any direct government support through the Public Distribution System or Direct Bank Transfer.
The survey also found that 29% of the workers did not have any rice, 51% had no atta, 52% were doing without pulses, and 54% did not have any cooking oil. “This signifies the near-starvation level of a majority of workers and their families,” the report noted.
