Page 35 - Issue 01

The narratives of Rina and Priyanka challenged But it’s worth mentioning that the provision for
every bit of the social and economic fabric. No one free ration, despite being faulty in implementation
with a brain tumour would cycle 20 Kilometres for had helped a lot of people.
some money. The distribution systems were ought

to be instruments for assistance and not mercy. After witnessing such sequence of events, asking
The whole institution of joint family collapsed in them about their update on social distancing
the case of Priyanka. The pandemic which seemed like a question from a distant future.
withdrew the basic self-reliance opportunities When a whole slum relies on two public taps for
from people had no silver lining for people like drinking and non-drinking needs, when

them. In the city where the two are mere community toilets are overburdened, how can
representatives, the duality of population as a they ensure social distancing even if they wished?
whole had never been such worse. Sometimes the issue of job loss seemed to have hit
them so had that the answers of every question
Most of the housemaids I interviewed had turned out to be a request for a job. While some
emerged to be the sole bread earners for their expected financial assistance after the survey,
family thus altering the ‘stereotypical pre-historic’ some repented about their unawareness after

gender roles. Most of their sons and husbands had learning just the names of so many government
been thrown out of employment now. Sushoma schemes that existed.
Achariya, a housemaid, mentioned in despair how
her son who earlier used to be a transporter is now With a second wave of the pandemic at the brim
trying his luck on selling vegetables only to watch and speculations of a second lockdown rising, we
most of them perish. The influx of many such can’t afford to forget the misery that was inflicted

vegetable sellers had managed to keep the prices on a major proportion of people. While many
at competitive levels but businesses such as obligations towards them could be dodged by a
grocery shops, medicine shops had started simple notion of ‘Act of God’ and suddenness of
charging a premium. This higher price of living, things in the first time, if there happens to be a
along with steeply falling incomes had taken a toll second lockdown, and such experiences re-
on their real income more than ever. To mitigate emerge, we would be held much more responsible
this when they turned their faces towards the local for being unable to cushion off their miseries yet

ration shops, excuses start emerging. Digitised again!
ration cards had suddenly gained utmost
importance and people without them were plainly
denied rations. Unavailability of goods at the fair Shibanjan Dutta is a student of M.Sc. 2020-22
price shops was also an issue. The situation batch.
emerged to be such that half of the ration from the

shops were procured by the local party offices to
rebrand them under a political colour and some
were being procured by local businesses at a
slightly higher price. The existence of such
leakages challenged the food distribution
schemes. Furthermore most people were unaware
of other government schemes that existed thus

revealing the need for awareness programs among
them.

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