The Covid-19 and migrant labourers in India: Challenges and way forward

Covid-19 adversely impacted almost all spheres of life, consequently leading to metamorphic changes not only in the economy but also in the lives of people. The lockdown imposed after the advent of the pandemic increased the vulnerability and hardships of migrant workers manifold. The frigid and ad hoc response to the issue of migrant labourers led to life insecurity for the migrant workers in every industrial and urban center. It created upheavals for individuals’ safety and security in this precarious time and also posed a great challenge for the government in handling the issues of migrant workers by both central and state governments. In this backdrop, the study attempts to understand the problems faced by migrant labourers due to the sudden lockdown and also highlight the scanty and delayed responses by the government. The study is divided into eight sections. Section one comprises an introduction to the issue of migrant workers during the pandemic. Section two introduces the origin and expansion of Covid-19. Section three discusses the legislative framework to deal with the specific problem of Covid-19 associated with migrants. Section four highlights government strategies to tackle the pandemic. Section five deliberates on the issues of migrant workers and state response. Sections six and seven deal with crisis management by the government and challenges ahead in Covid-19 respectively. The last section, section eight, which is the conclusion, sums up the discussion.