Daily wagers in Patna unable to support their families

PATNA: Daily wage workers, street vendors, autorickshaw drivers and push cart vendors in the city, who depend on their daily earnings, are struggling to support families due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown.
“As construction activities have come to a halt, daily wagers are battling hunger,” said Sachin Chandra, president of Bihar chapter of Builders’ Association of India.
He added more than 90% of the construction work has stopped and the workers have returned to their homes. “As the workers used to earn money on a daily basis, it has become difficult for them to run their families. Many workers are still stuck at various construction sites as they are unable to go back to their native places due to the lockdown,” Chandra added.
Asked about the Building and Other Construction Welfare funds, Chandra said around Rs 200 crore was already collected. “The money is for the welfare of workers. However, our biggest challenge at this point of time is identifying the workers as all of them are not registered,” he said.
More than 90% industrial units in the state have also been shut. Bihar Industries Association (BIA) president Ram Lal Khaitan said industrialists have made arrangements, like accommodation and food, for all the workers and staff who are still working. “For the industries which are not functioning, we have made sure that the workers get money for running their families,” he added.
The lockdown has also hit autorickshaw drivers, who used to earn money on a daily basis. Rinki Devi, a woman autorickshaw driver, said the lockdown was announced so suddenly that she couldn’t even save money. “It is quite difficult for me now to maintain the family,” she added.
Rajkumar, general secretary of the Bihar State Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association, said the association has demanded a financial package for the autorickshaw drivers. “Even the packages announced by the government are for ration card holders. E-rickshaw drivers and autorickshaw drivers can’t get benefited by these packages. We have requested the government to look into the issue. Otherwise, the autorickshaw drivers might starve to death before coronavirus strikes them,” he added.
With film and TV serial shoots coming to a halt, people working in the entertainment industry are also feeling the pinch. Rajesh Gupta, a director, said almost everybody involved in the industry are affected. “Spot boys, cameramen and light men, who do not earn a big amount of money per day, are completely jobless these days. In a situation like this, we can only pray that things go back to normal as soon as possible,” he said.