A critique of the Indian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Ghosh, Jayati

doi:10.1007/s40812-020-00170-x

Cited by 95 publications

(97 citation statements)

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“…Destroyed livelihoods and food insecurity coupled with a crippled public health system is an urgent call for an expansion and increase in public spending on social security. The current set of relief measures which has been touted to be equivalent to an inflated figure of 10% of the GDP is just a fraction of what it needs to be (Ghosh 2020 ; Ray and Subramanian 2020 ). The meagreness of the relief package combined with the “legitimised” opacity of the PM-CARES fund only further validates India’s fiscal response to the COVID crisis as one of the weakest in the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Starvation, exhaustion and accidents during travel, lack of medical care, police brutality and suicides 3 will mark the 68-day lockdown as one of the darkest periods of State failure in India’s history. For a longer discussion on the GoI’s inadequate economic response to the crisis created by the unplanned lockdown, see Ghosh ( 2020 ) and Ray and Subramanian ( 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Manufactured Maladies: Lives and Livelihoods of Migrant Workers During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

Adhikari

Goregaonkar

Narayanan

et al. 2020

Ind. J. Labour Econ.

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The 68 days of lockdown in India, as a measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, unlike any other in the world. In the first half of the lockdown, migrant workers were stranded with no food and money with severe restrictions on movement when a mass exodus of workers back to their hometowns and villages began. In the second half, the workers’ woes were compounded with a series of chaotic travel orders and gross mismanagement of the repatriation process. In this article, we draw on the work of Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) with more analysis and perspective. SWAN was a spontaneous relief effort that emerged soon after the lockdown was announced in March 2020. In addition to providing relief, SWAN concurrently documented the experiences of over 36,000 workers through the lockdown. We highlight the inadequacy of the government and judicial response to the migrant worker crisis. We present quantitative data elaborating the profile of workers that reached out to SWAN, the extent of hunger, loss of livelihoods and income. We also present qualitative insights based on interactions with workers and discuss multiple, non-exhaustive, dimensions of vulnerability to which migrant workers were exposed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manufactured Maladies: Lives and Livelihoods of Migrant Workers During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

Adhikari

Goregaonkar

Narayanan

et al. 2020

Ind. J. Labour Econ.

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“…Migrant farmworkers in particular have reported coercion into unsafe work environments and threats of deportation, alongside other rights violations (e.g., termination based on country of origin) [2]. Lockdowns in India have forced 100 million migrant workers into unemployment, where many have fled to home communities by foot and died from hunger and exhaustion [6]. Despite being called upon by the United Nations to protect migrants' rights, the government's inaction continues to exacerbate poverty, police brutality and COVID-19 stigma among workers [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lockdowns in India have forced 100 million migrant workers into unemployment, where many have fled to home communities by foot and died from hunger and exhaustion [6]. Despite being called upon by the United Nations to protect migrants' rights, the government's inaction continues to exacerbate poverty, police brutality and COVID-19 stigma among workers [6]. Germany's recent global health strategy effectively excluded refugees and asylum seekers from their pandemic response, contributing to several outbreaks among im/ migrant populations [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharpening our public health lens: advancing im/migrant health equity during COVID-19 and beyond

Machado

Goldenberg

2021

Int J Equity Health

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Background Differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought deeply rooted inequities to the forefront, where increasing evidence has shown that racialized immigrant and migrant (im/migrant) populations face a disproportionate burden of COVID-19. Im/migrant communities may be worst affected by lockdowns and restrictive measures, face less opportunity to physically distance or stay home sick within ‘essential’ jobs, and experience severe barriers to healthcare. Insufficient attention to experiences of racialized im/migrants in current pandemic responses globally highlights an urgent need to more fulsomely address unmet health needs through an anti-racist, equity-oriented lens. This commentary aims to highlight the need for public health and clinical training, research, and policy to thoughtfully prioritize im/migrant health equity during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Main text Global pandemic responses have neglected im/migrants by continuing to ignore or insufficiently address inequities, exacerbating COVID transmission, xenophobia, and occupational injustice. Deaths, illness, stress, and other negative outcomes of the overlapping epidemics of COVID-19 and structural racism disproportionately borne by racialized im/migrants suggest the urgent need for action. As evidence mounts about how im/migrants have been left behind in times of crises, we need enhanced focus on health equity within COVID-19 research and interventions, including research that examines and pursues structural interventions necessary to mitigate these impacts, and that identifies patterns and harms of xenophobic policy, structural racism, and white supremacy in shaping im/migrant health outcomes. We must also strengthen anti-racist and equity-oriented curriculum within health education, and ensure sufficient attention to the needs of im/migrant communities within public health, clinical, and research training. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and rendered more visible the deeply rooted health and social inequities faced by racialized im/migrants across diverse settings. We argue for a greater emphasis on equity-focused and anti-racist im/migrant health research, interventions, and training. Policymakers and practitioners must ensure that healthcare policies and practices do not exacerbate inequities, and instead meaningfully address unmet needs of communities, including racialized im/migrants. Ethical and respectful community engagement, commitment and collaboration with global, national, and local communities, policymakers, academics, and educators, as well as accountability across sectors, is critical.

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“…The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a directive (on March 29) to employers of factories and shops and establishments to pay full wages to employees during the lockdown period, March 29 to May 17 which as we note below was ineffective. Critics have argued that the relief measures announced by the central government are parsimonious and even ill-directed (Ghosh 2020). Along with the relief measures for COVID-affected firms and workers, the Central government also introduced structural reforms in eight sectors like coal, defence, etc.…”

Section: Covid-19 the State And Employersmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and State Failure: A Double Whammy for Trade Unions and Labour Rights

Sundar

2020

Ind. J. Labour Econ.

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A critique of the Indian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 95 publications

References 1 publication

Manufactured Maladies: Lives and Livelihoods of Migrant Workers During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

Manufactured Maladies: Lives and Livelihoods of Migrant Workers During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

Sharpening our public health lens: advancing im/migrant health equity during COVID-19 and beyond

COVID-19 and State Failure: A Double Whammy for Trade Unions and Labour Rights

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