THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Rohan Khaunte
The Centre and each of the State governments including Goa seems to be using the word migrant to address that labour force that is the backbone of small and medium scale industry in the affluent states of India. Aren't they Indians? Just because they leave their impoverished states to find a livelihood to other states doesn't make them any less Indian.
The States in which they work, prefer to call them as migrants so that they can be kept out of economic inclusion and be denied even the basic rights. They are being treated as social and economic outcasts. States are literally denying their painful existence in Corona times because the moment any state Government takes up their case, it will become a socioeconomic liability.
Isn't it pure violation of their Constitutional rights when we keep them on the fringes of our society. Isn't it downright inhuman when we deny them the right to go to their homes.
With the Supreme Court finally taking notice of their plight, there is some hope that the Central and State governments will approach this crisis in a more humane manner.
It's ironic that in most BJP states, the problems faced by these labourers are very severe but the UP CM seems to be oblivious of this and is blaming the Maharashtra CM for the plight of these labourers while conveniently ignoring the mishandling of the issue in BJP run states like Karnataka and Goa.
Do we need to wait for the Supreme court to show our humanity? Why can't we treat them as fellow Indians for these are the very people who help us run our hotels, mall's, factories, beach shacks, watersports etc for that matter even some local 'gaddo' is being manned by these labourers.
Setting aside political differences, it's time we emulate the actions of the Telangana and Kerala administrations, who are taking total care of these impoverished fellow Indians who leave their homes to earn a living while continuing to live a life of poverty and are deprived of socioeconomic benefits entitled to every Indian.
If we don't take care of them, we shall continue seeing horrifying and shameful instances of these migrants being crushed by trains & trucks, falling dead after walking hundreds of kilometres to reach home or the latest case of a mother lying dead out of hunger and dehydration on the railway platform in Bihar while her toddler son tries to wake her up from sleep. This single image should be more than enough for the Central and State Governments to hang their heads in shame. Today humanity is put to shame in India and the Central and State Governments including Goa shouldn't wait for Supreme Court directives but take a humanitarian call on the issues faced by the Shramiks/Migrants who are actually just our fellow Indian brethren.
If at all we need to learn a lesson from the extreme crisis faced by these labourers due to Corona, it is that Governments should stop evaluating its citizens as economically viable or unviable assets. Let’s look at citizens as Humans that can achieve their full potential. Let us look at Humanity to be the only Religion. This is when we can be deemed to be a developed nation!
