A sobbing child migrant worker stranded in Delhi without shelter, job and a way back home — is only one among lakhs of his peers

• A video of a crying child migrant worker shows him stuck in the city under threat of being beaten up by the police if he doesn’t go home — without any way to get there.
• Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers all over the country are stranded in urban India with no way of getting back to their villages.
• The sudden announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement a 21-day lock down has restricted public transportation and sealed off borders.
• Follow the comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact, and other useful resources that can help you in the fight on Business Insider India.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to stay indoors for 21 days, he was talking to people who have homes. The country however is full of people who have no homes, no savings, and no way to stock rations.


The worst affected are migrant workers who are stranded, homeless, and hungry — who do not fear Coronavirus but starvation. One such heartbreaking story is that of a 15-year old construction worker in Delhi was seen sobbing since he doesn’t have a way to get back home. He told NDTV that he has been roaming the streets for three days with the police threatening to beat him up if he didn’t have a place to go.


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He’s only one among hundreds of thousands of workers in the unorganised sector that travel to urban cities looking for work. Over 90% of India’s unorganised sector are migrant workers where no health nor social benefits exist. The wages are low and many don’t have savings to fall back on. As public transportation is closed, going back home is not an option either.


Some workers choose to walk home
In a travesty similar to Biblical lore, some labourers decided to go back home, on foot. In Gujarat, over 2,000 daily wage workers chose to walk all the way home to Rajasthan — many without food or water, according to the Indian Express. It took the group of men, women and children 14 hours to reach Dungarpur Village, the nearest border.


On being stopped by the border authorities, some were loaded onto trucks and others had to walk another two hours to the bus station in hopes that one will take them home.

In Northern India, migrant workers from Nepal are stranded at the border as per Aljazeera.


Help for the poor
In Delhi, homeless shelters are overrun and migrant workers have no choice but to stay within the city with borders sealed. Most of these workers are from remote villages, many all the way in Bihar over 1,000 kilometers away, where walking home isn’t an option.


States like Uttar Pradesh and Kerala announced small amounts of monetary assistance to help the vulnerable sections of society tide through the lockdown.


However, India’s welfare programmes are far from adequate. The added stress of the lockdown is only compounded by the limited resources. Even though the fiscal situation is tight, experts like Raghuram Rajan and P Chidambaram recommend putting cash in the hands of those who need it most after addressing healthcare concerns.


See also:

Here's how a 21-day lockdown might help break the Covid-19 chain

A whole lot of doctors reportedly forced to reuse same mask for a week are crying for support

Here’s what you can access during the 21-day lockdown across India