India’s Poor, Hammered by Coronavirus Lockdown, Fear for Future
Shaikh Bahaduresha, 31, lived on Mumbai’s streets for two months last year, unable to make ends meet on his meager taxi-driving profits of roughly $5 a day. After he got married in December, his wife put some money towards renting a small apartment, and they moved in together.
But with much of India now under lockdown to fight the coronavirus, Bahaduresha’s newfound stability could come crashing down. He has no more taxi customers, which means he cannot afford food beyond rice and lentils, and will not be able to pay his rent, due on Tuesday.
“I have no savings. My wife and I will be on the street again,” said Bahaduresha as he waited in vain next to shuttered stores for a cab owner who he said owed him a deposit. “The USA is a VIP country, you can block it for a month and it’s okay, but in India you have to take care of the poor.”…
SEE ALSO
India’s poorest ‘fear hunger may kill us before coronavirus’ (Mar 25, 2020, BBC)
COVID-19: Dalit rights bodies regret, no relief plan yet for SCs, STs, marginalized (Mar 24, 2020, Counterview)
Arms over masks: India buys weapons from Israel as coronavirus cases spike (Mar 24, 2020, Middle East Eye)
Assam detention camps: Plea in SC to release inmates amidst Covid-19 outbreak (Mar 26, 2020, Sabrang India)
