Post lockdown
COVID -19 @ Delhi; Relief work 21st June 2020
On 21st June 2020 the relief team- Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) , National Alliance of People's Movement ( NAPM), Ambedkarwadi Lekhak Sangh (ALS) , Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG) , Magadh Foundation , Rehabilitation Research Initiative, Natt Ghumakkad Samaj Kalyan Samiti, National Domestic Workers Union, National Campaign for Dignity and Rights of Sewerage and Allied Workers with the support of Delhi Forum , SRUTI , Helping Hands Charitable Trust, Delhi youth welfare Association (DYWA) and fellow friends , have been able to provide monetary assistance to 50 families living in Vishwas Nagar, New Sanjay Amar Colony, East Delhi, Shahdara.
The team interacted with the people living in the area and got to know about the deplorable working conditions they have been subjugated to even post lockdown. Most of the people living in the colony belong to the occupation of cleaning work or sewer work.
Here are few excerpts from the interactions:-
1. Rajiv used to work as a contractual sweeper and has no work 3 months. He lives on rent but has no ration card. He tells us that he received a token from govt. through which he received 16kg wheat. He asks “How long can one sustain on 16kg wheat? One needs money for medicines, pulses, vegetables everything”. He has three kids and says that their condition is reaching to the point of starvation. He hears every day that they will get work from tomorrow, but that tomorrow never comes.
2. Meena Devi , a widow, her husband died seven years ago due to illness and her eldest son also died after the father’s demise within a span of next three months. She has small kids who used to go out to earn as helpers. She was a cleaner but broke her hand and couldn’t work further. She receives a pension of Rs. 2500 due to which she and her kids are able to eat whatever little they can.
3. Anjali , a Domestic worker, hasn’t received money from last 3 months. She tells us that she filled a form to receive ration once but got no help from there. She lives separately with her mother and 2 kids. Her and her kids survival right now is possible due to her mother’s saving.
4. Pinky, a Domestic worker, lives with 2 kids on rent. Her kids study in govt. school. She is a ration card holder and receives 12kg wheat and 3kg rice. She thanks her landlord for not taking rent during the lockdown but says she has to pay it later. She has no idea as what she’ll do now if people won’t call her to work due to Covid 19.
5. Yogesh used to work as a cleaner at mall. He hails from Meerut and lives with his wife and one child. He lives in a rented room but has no ration card. Since covid induced lockdown, malls have been closed and so his only source of livelihood. He says if he can eat one day, they have to starve the next day to make up and if nothing works out soon, they have to go back.
6. Shashi , a Cleaner, says she and her family is in a very bad situation as there is no work due to coronavirus. She says her Landlord helped a little but now he cannot help and asks to go back to village. Shashi delivered a baby girl 1.5months ago and she is facing difficulties to feed her. Her husband used to sell vegetables but now he has no money to even buy vegetables for selling.
7. Anita used to work as a cleaner in houses and as a contractual worker. She tells us no one is giving work due to coronavirus. She says “ bhuke marne ki naubat agai hain. Hum bhukhe reh sakte hain lekin humare bache to ni reh sakte” (Situation of starvation has arrived. We can stay hungry but not our kids). Her husband is mentally different abled and is on medication. She finds it difficult now to take him to the hospital, let alone buying medicines for him. She has no hopes of getting work in near future and says “ agar aise hi hal raha to log phasi laga kar mar jaenge ” (If this situation continues, people will hang themselves and die).
The financial situation of all these families has deteriorated due to the lockdown. Before the lockdown, they were able to meet their normal house needs from their business or work, but now a situation of starvation is standing in front of them. Women and men are all unemployed and are not getting any financial assistance from anywhere. The young children of these families are starving. Sick - The elderly are becoming critical due to lack of medicines.
· With the help of these organizations, we have so far provided financial assistance to more than 650 families from marginalized sections. This includes sanitation workers, sewer workers, daily wage and migrant laborers, De-notified Tribes- DNTs, garbage pickers, nomadic caste Sansi Community, Deha Samaj, Valmiki's families. Apart from this, dry ration kits have been distributed to 100 families and soaps, masks, small towels, etc. for sanitization to 100 families. All these families were already in a very deplorable condition. This lockdown has changed their situation. Due to the lockdown, these people are unable to get work, most used to earn daily and feed themselves.
· With the little help we provide, these families buy milk, medicine and essential items for women and children. These families were selected by the activists and community workers associated with the organizations with their combined efforts.
For more details
Email : dashaktimanch@gmail.com
Contact : 9958797409, 7065721374, 8178959197
