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A collective of organizations – PUCL Rajasthan, NAPM Rajasthan, Centre for Equity Studies (Rajasthan), Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan Asangathit Mazdoor Union, Helping Hands Jaipur and Pink City Haj and Education Welfare Society. among others – have written to Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, to help those migrants from Bihar who are stranded in Rajasthan due to the lockdown.
Writing about the state of migrants they say that a large number of migrants from Bihar are settled in Rajasthan and are employed as labourers, factory workers and employees in other companies along with those who work on daily wages to survive.
These migrants have been stranded in Rajasthan since March 21 when the state government announced a lockdown to curb the coronavirus. Most of these workers are employed within the informal sector and earn around Rs. 8,000 – Rs. 10,000 per month. Within this amount, they not only rent an accommodation and arrange for food, but also send money back home to their families in their native villages. “More than one lakh migrants from Bihar work in the areas of Sitapura, Vishwakarma, Sanganer and other industrial areas of Jaipur, and currently at least 50 thousand migrants from Bihar are stranded in Rajasthan due to the lockdown. They are starving due to hunger now, after having used up all their resources during the lockdown. Their employers too haven’t paid their outstanding salaries,” their letter reads.
The concerned organizations also say that civil society organizations and unions started providing cooked food to these stranded migrants at the beginning of the lockdown. The Rajasthan government too, especially in the industrial areas of Jaipur provided 5 kgs of flour, 1 kg rice, 1 kg dal, half a liter of oil and salt packets to migrants. However, this was given 10 days ago and now they don’t have any ration left. Though, with the help of district authorities and state officials, the distribution of ration has been resumed, its quantity is meager. The migrants do not have other essentials needed for survival too.
Addressing the CM, the organizations say, “The announcement of the Bihar government regarding the disbursal of Rs. 1,000 through the Corona Sahayata App to each migrant from Bihar stranded outside the state has specific requisites which not all labourers can fulfil due to which not all eligible are getting the assistance promised. The labourers are facing the following problems – 1. Some do not have a smartphone. 2. Some do not have a bank account. 3. Some do not have a phone at all. 4. Some have a bank account in banks outside the home state. 5. Assistance not remitted even though online registration shows to be successful.”
In light of this, the organizations have put forth the following demands:
1. The Bihar government should start a special helpline for migrants stranded outside the state as the from the current helpline numbers given, most are switched off or go unanswered.
2. Just like the Uttar Pradesh government which evacuated students from Rajasthan, the Bihar government too must make arrangements with the Central government and make free of cost arrangements for these migrants to return safely to their homes.
The organizations are confident that the Bihar government will take note of the plight of the migrants and make the Rs. 1,000 financial assistance immediately available to them and ensure their safe passage to Bihar.
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