The ongoing lockdown to contain COVID-19 spread has affected the quality of life of more than 90% of people employed in the unorganised sector and their families, says a survey undertaken by a wing of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP).
The study was undertaken to gauge the after-effects of the lockdown on the social and economic lives of the commoners. It was carried out by the Campaign Against Pseudo Science Using Law and Ethics (CAPSULE), Kerala, a platform under the KSSP.
As a first step, those in the unorganised sector and their families were covered and efforts were made to find out their major problems. The survey covered 284 people in the villages, urban centres, and coastal and hilly areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. Fifteen prepared questions were asked and the interaction was in the form of an interview.
The survey found that 93% of homemakers in the families of unorganised sector employees were finding it difficult to tide over the lockdown period, which had been extended recently to two more weeks.
Some relief
They pointed out that the free distribution of essential goods by the State government was a huge relief for 83% of the respondents though they were apprehensive about difficulties that lay ahead.
Daily wage labourers were the worst-hit as 94% of them lost their source of income or noticed a slump in it. This affected the quality of life of 69% of people.
It was pointed out that 62% of people were forced to borrow money for their daily expenses. Some others reduced their expenses or used their savings. Lack of work was a problem for 92% of the respondents. Almost 98% of them were of the opinion that the future is going to be difficult.
Functionaries of CAPSULE Kerala claimed that home-makers without regular income, daily-wage labourers, and those without savings were under social and economic stress and the government should devise plans to address their concerns.
