Lockdown casts long shadow over livelihood

NT Correspondent

A survey on the continuing impact of Covid-induced lockdown on employment and livelihood in Bengaluru reveals job and income losses have persisted well past the 2020 lockdown. The outcome reveals that 41 per cent of workers had no work, and another 21 per cent had reduced earnings even in January-February 2021. Among those worst affected by the livelihood losses were daily wage-earners such as domestic workers or those working in the retail sector. Most of these workers were working as drivers of cabs, autos or cars, or garment factories or as masons.

This is revealed in a survey by the Centre for Sustainable Employment of the Azim Premji University. The results were released in a press release by the Centre on Tuesday (March 29). The survey covered 3,000 households in 92 low-income settlements across 33 wards of Bengaluru.

The shadow cast over livelihood was long. A significant minority (10 per cent men, 15 per cent women) were out of work even as late as October 2021 (oneand-a-half years into the pandemic). Earnings losses were also long-term. Monthly earnings, which were low even before the pandemic (Rs 9,400 per month), fell even lower for many months (Rs 8,450 per month as of JanFeb 2021). By October 2021, earnings had recovered in nominal terms but adjusted for inflation, they continued to be below pre-COVID levels. This means that surveyed households have endured almost 19 months of job losses and depressed earnings, the survey concluded.

Rising poverty
Poverty was already high and rose even further. The percentage of households with earnings less than Rs 119 (as recommended by the Anoop Satpathy for Minimum Wage per person per day) rose to almost 80 per cent before falling back to pre-Covid levels (67 per cent ) by October 2021.

The survey says food insecurity rose sharply. Forty per cent of the households reported eating less than they were before the pandemic, even as late as October 2021.

Households coped with the distress by borrowing and selling assets. Eleven per cent had to resort to borrowing (mainly from informal sources) to finance daily expenses or to repay old loans. An additional 15 per cent of households had sold or pawned jewellery to meet expenses. Another12 per cent were unable to borrow despite the pressing need.

Safety net
The PDS (ration) was the most important safety net. Fifty-five per cent of households with Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards reported receiving more than their regular quantity of grains every month since the second lockdown. Another 32 per cent got additional grains for at least a few months.

Cash transfers did not reach as many people. Seventy-eight per cent of households did not have a woman-owned Jan Dhan account. Among those who had an account, 75 per cent reported receiving some transfer, and 40 per cent reported receiving the full Rs 1,500.

Only 3 per cent of households reported receiving anything under the cash transfer schemes announced by the Government of Karnataka.

There were some improvements in mid-day meals and ICDS during the pandemic. Thirty-eight per cent households reported getting supplementary nutrition or alternatives from anganwadis/ICDS (only for households that had a child under age six or pregnant or lactating motheRs This was against 24 per cent in pre-Covid times.

The survey was conducted in November 2021 with the help of Action Aid, Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), The Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), Hasiru Dala, Gubbachi, Reaching Hand, Sangama, Swabhimaan Trust and Thamate.

While launching the survey findings, Amit Basole, head of Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University, and lead researcher of the survey team, pointed out that the ill-effects of the pandemic on livelihoods have persisted well beyond the lockdowns, particularly for vulnerable sections of society. “There is a need for a focused and long-term policy response at the Centre and State levels to help households emerge from the crisis”, he pointed out.

Hyma Vadlamani, core member of the Covid response team, Azim Premji Foundation, said that the pandemic has shown how invisible the poor in the cities are and how weak the public systems are in reaching the neediest and the most vulnerable. There is an urgent need to use the understanding developed from this survey and revamp the city governance systems to address the inequities more systemically.