Stranded NRIs vs Migrant Labourers

The image of migrant labourers walking hundreds of kilometres to reach their homes will haunt the collective conscience of our nation for a long time to come. The sheer impact of the lockdown order on the common man is reminiscent of Emperor Mohammed bin Tughlaq’s order to move the capital of India from Delhi to Daulatabad and then back again, with no regard for his citizens. While trains and buses stopped plying all of a sudden, the harassment from district officials and the police added to their misery. Some skilled labourers who could afford it, organised private buses from places like Chennai and Ernakulam to far-off districts and even villages in Bihar and Orissa. But numerous others were not so lucky. With the sudden loss of jobs, people faced an acute shortage of income, especially in cities where the cost of living is high, irrespective of being native or migrant. However, in all situations of devastation, the outsider is targeted first. When they couldn’t pay rent or fell sick, these migrant workers were literally thrown out on the streets and their cries for help fell on deaf ears.

However, the voices of NRIs stranded abroad were much louder and heard much faster. By the first week of May 2020, the Indian Government decided to help stranded NRIs. In eight phases that ran from May to November, they brought home lakhs of NRIs. These flights were mainly from the Middle East but also from other countries like the United Kingdom and the USA. The NRIs paid nearly twice the usual cost for a one-way ticket. However, they were treated with great respect as compared to the common migrant labourer in the same country. In the early phases of the Vande Bharat missions, every passenger went through quarantine in budget hotels specially provided by the government. If they showed any symptoms of COVID-19 during the flight or upon landing, they received institutional quarantine. If they showed no symptoms, they were allowed to go to their native towns with an intrastate travel pass issued at the airport.

The disparity in the manner of treatment between NRIs and migrant labourers was severe. The process of handling the returning NRIs was rationally thought out and executed. However, there was no thought involved in facilitating the return of migrant labourers to their homes, until the citizens of the country raised concerns. Many citizens joined hands with social organisations to provide transport, food, water, and medical services to the migrant labourers as they travelled to their cities and towns. By the second week of May, passenger trains were pressed into service from New Delhi to other States. However, it was only by June 1st that Sharmik Trains started running for the benefit of those who were stranded in different parts of the country. During the interim period, countless numbers of people had already walked half away across the country to get to their homes. Some made it while others collapsed on the way.

Editor: Evita Vincy