Almost 85% of the Capital’s residents saw their incomes decline in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, with casual workers being the worst affected, according to a survey carried out by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
About a third of households faced shortages of food, cooking fuel and medicine during the same period, raising concerns about the impact of an extended lockdown.
The survey, carried out between April 3-6, covered a representative sample of 1,750 people living in the rural and urban parts of the National Capital Region, in 31 districts spread across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Almost 55% of respondents in the survey said that the COVID-19 outbreak had reduced their income “very much”, while another 30% said their incomes had fallen “somewhat”. The situation was worse among casual workers, with almost 75% reporting that their income had fallen “very much”, in comparison to 47% among salaried workers and 42% among farmers.
However, NCAER warned that “it is possible that the effect on farmers could be greater after the harvesting season is over [towards the end of April or May], given that the lockdown and social distancing may make it difficult for farmers to sell and deliver their produce.”
Supply shortage
Access to essential items was more difficult in rural areas, where 33% of respondents experienced supply shortages, in comparison to 25% in urban areas. More than one in five of all households faced shortages of vegetables and fruits (25% in rural areas), while 14% faced shortages of grains and cereals.
Almost 9% of households faced difficulties in accessing medicines, which “could lead to serious health implications going forward, especially if these shortages get worse over time,” said the report. About 36% of respondents also said that they or their family members had avoided going to a health facility during the previous two weeks for a medical condition other than a COVID-19 infection.
Although 95% of respondents thought COVID-19 was highly dangerous, over 65% did not think there was any chance of themselves or their family members becoming infected. Nevertheless, an overwhelming 88% of respondents supported an extension of the lockdown till the end of April.
NCAER plans to repeat this survey in late April and in May, to allow for comprehensive assessment of how Delhi-NCR households are coping with COVID-19 and its aftermath.
