Abstract
Migrant workers are the primary drivers of the SDG goals. The MSMEs are run by migrant workers with over 50% overall work-force; almost 80% of India’s economic activities are based in the MSMEs that are a major contributor to the national GDP. However, the pandemic has exposed the disregard for and the discriminatory treatment meted out to the intra-national and inter-state migrants by the state authorities both in the host state and in the source state. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the horrendous nightmare the hapless undocumented migrants faced and the anguish and helplessness of those who watched them on their television screens during the lockdown. The bureaucracy caught napping and in a state of inaction, the imposition of the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, a statute that still reeks of the colonial past, combined with intense politicization rather than empathy and action led to a virtual breakdown in administration vis-à-vis workers’ welfare and their rights. This paper highlights governance failure that could have been avoided if the government had acted with alacrity, taken professed commitment to SDGs seriously and balanced the containment of the pandemic with the economic needs of the workforce of the country.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
The Constitution of India [India (1950) Part I], 26 January, available at https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b5e20.html, accessed on 23 June 2020.
New York Times (2020) In Russia Migrant Workers Come Last, Morning Briefing, 16 June 2020, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/briefing/china-brexit-european-union.html, accessed on 19 June 2020.
Peter, Binoy, Narendran, Vishnu (2017) God’s Own Workforce, Unravelling Labour Migration to Kerala, Centre for Migration Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) Publication, available at http://cmid.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Gods-Own-Workforce-CMID-Web.pdf, accessed on 19 June.
Kallungal, Dhinesh, Employers Withhold ID Cards, Deny Wages to Detain Migrants, The New Indian Express, 13 June 2020, available at https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/jun/13/employers-withhold-id-cards-deny-wages-to-detain-migrants-2155903.html, accessed on 20 June 2020.
Ministry of Labour and Employment (1979) Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act (30 of 1979), New Delhi: Government of India, available at https://labour.gov.in/whatsnew/inter-state-migrant-workmen-regulation-employment-and-conditions-service-act-1979-30-1979, accessed on 20 June 2020.
The Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, ACT NO. 3 OF 1897 1 Government of India [4 February 1897], available at https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1005961/, accessed on 20 June 2020.
The Disaster Management Act (2005) National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India, available at http://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2020/05/The-Disaster-Management-Act-2005.pdf, accessed on 20 June 2020.
Xpress Money Blog, 11 December 2019. Why Is India the Top Recipient of Remittances? available at https://www.xpressmoney.com/blog/industry/why-is-india-the-top-recipient-of-remittances/, accessed 8 June 2020.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Haran, N.P. (2020). The Pandemic—Migrant Workers a Major Casualty. In: Malhotra, V.K., Fernando, R.L.S., Haran, N.P. (eds) Disaster Management for 2030 Agenda of the SDG. Disaster Research and Management Series on the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4324-1_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4324-1_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4323-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4324-1
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)