Editorial: Lessons from the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic and its associated containment measures have left a heavy toll on the economy and disrupted livelihoods. A string of lockdowns and other restrictions have had a profound effect on employment and earnings. Several surveys reveal how the livelihoods have been devastated at unprecedented levels. Food insecurity and economic vulnerability have increased to […]

The coronavirus pandemic and its associated containment measures have left a heavy toll on the economy and disrupted livelihoods. A string of lockdowns and other restrictions have had a profound effect on employment and earnings. Several surveys reveal how the livelihoods have been devastated at unprecedented levels. Food insecurity and economic vulnerability have increased to staggering proportions. Hunger deaths and suicides linked to economic stress are being reported from various parts of the country. Many people who lost their jobs during the pandemic have not been able to find new employment while the incomes of most self-employed people are a fraction of their previous levels. There has been a significant increase in poverty and hunger. A recent independent survey, conducted across 14 States, showed that 66% of those surveyed had suffered a steep fall in their incomes, compared with their pre-pandemic earnings. The findings that are part of the ‘Hunger Watch’ report released by Right to Food Campaign, in association with various civil society organisations, revealed that among those who suffered a decline in their income, nearly 60% said their current income was less than half of what it had been before the pandemic. While 6% of those surveyed were unemployed, around 70% of the respondents reported a household income of less than Rs 7,000 per month. Using the Global Food Insecurity Experience Scale, the survey brings out a worrisome analysis of diet and food intake. It shows that 79% of the households reported some form of food insecurity and 25% reported severe food insecurity.

The survey, conducted between December 2021 and January this year, sought to document the hunger situation six months after the devastating second wave of Covid-19 in India. This was the second round of the Hunger Watch survey with the first being conducted after the national lockdown in 2020 covering 11 States. Earlier, a similar survey conducted by Azim Premji University found a massive increase in unemployment and an equally dramatic fall in earnings, with two-thirds of the respondents having lost work. An overwhelming majority of farmers could not sell their produce. Casual and self-employed workers were the worst impacted. Another disturbing fact is that the pandemic has impacted women disproportionately because they work in sectors that have been the hardest hit. At 21%, India has one of the lowest female participation rates in the workforce across the world. It is less than half the global average. The dismally low labour force participation rate can be attributed, at least partially, to the restrictive cultural norms regarding women’s work, the gender wage gap and lack of safety policies and flexible work offerings. More and more women are being pushed out of the agriculture sector following a drop in demand. The new opportunities being created in modern, high-value service sectors typically go to the menfolk.

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