Migrant Worker And COVID-19

Migrant Worker And COVID-19

Struggle And Life 

Migrant workers the term popularised by US President Donald Trump. The worker migrates both at the national and international level. Now the question arises why they migrate from one place to another?

 Usually, we heard, listen and study that only poor, destitute and deprived people, not finding enough resources to develop their inbuild capacities, and migrate from one place to another in search of better opportunities in terms of jobs, education and happy life.


Two types of labour migrate, the first category consists of poor, unskilled and farmers to avoid disguised unemployment, hunger and social torment of society. The labourers under this category manage to get a job such as rag pickers, vegetable vendors, rickshaw puller and in construction activities.

 These labourers are the most vulnerable as there is no law has been enacted by the government to protect their rights if violated or became victims of violence, underpaid wage and fired by their employer without issuing any prior notice or notification before firing them.

Second categories cover skilled, well literate and with a speciality in their respective field of works. They are aware of their rights and duties so never caught or became victim, the government too look after their employees and provides necessary resources and opportunities to utilise their talent and ability as efficiently as they can to develop human resources effectively.


Private players often make every effort to capture the full potential of their skilled employees to enhance their production, value and market. As in this case, both employer and employed have satisfaction with each other's work and function they perform. This picture was found missing in the first case, the reason could be the poverty, illiteracy and lack of effective law against the exploiter and bourgeoise in our country. This is actually not the only scenario of India, but the entire world labourers are facing same marginalised attitude only because they belong to the unskilled category and bearing the brunt of being poor.

Badly Affected After National Lockdown

In the wake of COVID-19, the migrant workers came once more in the spotlight. These workers again facing an unprecedented paucity of resources to survive as they possess no home, stuck at their workplaces, usually live in shanties to save a small amount of money they earn by their hard work for their family.

Now with the spread of COVID-19 across the continent, to country, to states, and in this situation to maintain social distancing as strictly announced by government authority. The situation became so extreme that their survival now at the stake of their life. We couldn't expect social distancing to a person who is unable to manage a meal twice a day for themselves or in a small single room where more than four to five members are living, how they would adhere to social distancing?

Many migrant workers did not get the subsidised and free food services ensured by the government. Since the data used to deliver food services to poor were based on the 2011 census and this deprived large chunk of the population who really needed to survive.

Migrants workers can be given their full share if the government would manage to collect data such as their name, address and bank account information. Information could be accessed by contacting the firms and contractors who employed these workers in construction activity. They manage there non-skilled, manual and labourers record while paying them.

Various Indian states show sympathy to their migrant workers, these workers are left stuck at various states across the subcontinent, the main cities which are overwhelmed by the migrant workers are Surat Gujrat, Mumbai, Dharavi Maharasthra, and Chennai Tamil Nadu, etc.

The Southern states of the country especially Kerala tackled the pandemic very effectively and did not create any confusion and discriminatory practices while fighting with the deadly virus.

Given adequate attention to not only their natives but special attention was also given to migrant workers from other states, well treated and also requested and pleaded the Tablighi jamaat members to come out for their homes for checkups if shows any symptoms of the virus.

 The government's appeal worked, many of them came out and government secured their lives as much as possible. Kerla gets appreciation the way it tackled the pandemic not only from India, but various foreign countries also applauded their strategy and technique they used to curtail the virus and cultivated trust and faith in their citizen's mind.

Migrant workers can be turned into a boon for an economy at the time of crisis if they managed and deployed effectively such as in the areas where they are left and stuck. Register their full address and provide them works according to their capability from supervisor to manual works.

Turning migrant workers into productive at this moment requires pragmatic efforts such as deploying them as a volunteer, as home guards and mostly provide them works which don't require a high skill. Made them guards at hospitals, vigilant volunteer of urban and rural areas, if possible in areas where they stuck, activities such as construction workers in factories, allow them to work in people's house with maintaining social distancing if people wanted to employ them. These small jobs would lessen the burden and brunt of unemployment, poverty and pandemic they are bearing.

India's Stature And Pandemic


If we look at globally, India is willing and making it's relentless effort to repatriate its migrant workers across the world especially from West Asia and the US. It also upheld trust and solidarity among citizens living abroad towards the government. The oneness which India is cultivating across the world, among its foreign nationals and diaspora is unprecedented.

The result of this hard work of uniting people across the globe shows the global leadership which our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has present to the world, would lead India as a global power and enhance India's stature.

The world has to keep reminding itself that workers are always at the forefront whenever pandemic like CVID-19 explode, they bear the unbearable situation at the stake of a few rich and powerful section of the population. The pathetic working and living condition of migrants workers defy the very idea of decent work and general security.

Disastrous provide opportunities to correct constitutional and systemic wrongs. The state could work out a strategy to address immediate distress conditions to bring structural changes in the policy towards migrants workers. To keep their faith, reliance and optimism maintained in the democratic system of governance.