How second wave of Covid again hit unorganised sector of Jharkhand

Alok Pandey

Ground Report | New Delhi: As Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren hold up again for a week lockdown to clutch the transmission of the coronavirus. The lockdown period starts from 22 April to 29 April will be observed as 'Healthy Safety Week'. But till now it extended to the 10th of June.

It is very important to break the chain of growing Corona infections in the state. Therefore a decision has been taken for 'Swasthya Suraksha Saptah' in the state. Only essential services have been kept out from the restrictions -He said in his tweet. Imposing again a week lockdown will hit the bottom ring of the society that is still battling with hunger and poverty after completion of a one-year lockdown.

As per the Economic Survey of 2019, 93 percent of the total working class of the country are employed from the Unorganised Sector like wedding planners, florists, tailors, security guards, etc. However, government think tank NITI Aayog, in a report released in 2018 said that 85 percent of the total workforce was a part of the unorganized sector.

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Among all other small business owners and those in seasonal employment, everyone from washerman to the beautician to tailors now in a dark phase on their livelihood. The losses of lockdown on the wedding industry are still going from last year. Many small and big hotels were booked for the wedding this month, now imposing lockdown causes the cancellation of booked hotels, and this leads to losses and unemployment.

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"March to July is supposed to be a good time to earn money for weavers, tailors, and whole Clothing Shops," said the Manoj who run his tailor shop in Palamau District of Jharkhand.

Another group of people who are badly affected by the lockdown is security guards serving at malls or commercial sites. since all malls, commercials sites, and Industries are closed in lockdown, many people are out of a job now and uncertainties of getting salaries are posing a problem to most of these personnel.

'Narayan who was a security guard in City Style Mall in Ranchi returned to his hometown, his company retained his job and now he is pulling a rickshaw in his hometown and hope to join his job soon when everything will normal.' The unorganised sector which provides maximum employment has been ignored as no relief or concession in the 2021 Union budget.

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