With lockdown crippling commercial and economic activities, members of Narikuravar community, who earn their livelihood by selling chains, bangles and toys, urged the State Government to provide financial assistance to their families as they feel that normalcy would take more than two months.
As many as 45 families, comprising 190 members, including 40 children, were residing at Karukkampalayam, near Vaikalmedu, in Perundurai for the past 21 years. While women make chains, bangles, beads, pins, combs and sell it in bus stands, railway stations and public places, men used to run shops selling toys, slingshots and fancy items during temple festivals across the district. “Our income is nil in the past one month and are surviving with the essential commodities provided by the government”, said R. Vengaiyan, head of the community. He said that earlier youths earned by working in construction sector which has also stopped due to lockdown.
As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, the district administration has also postponed all temple festivals scheduled in March and April and that affected their livelihood completely.
“Most of the men earn during temple festivals with which we manage for a month. But now there is no scope for earnings”, he added.
A woman member of the community said that since public transport and trains were stopped and in the absence of public movement, they cannot earn even a rupee a day. “We fear the worst is yet to come as normalcy may return after many months”, she added.
Though they have ration cards, members said that in the absence of income, they were unable to fulfil their basic needs. “We cannot sit at home for over a month without income as we used to walk a lot selling the products”, added Vengaiyan, who want financial support from the government until normalcy returns.
