Similar to the rest of the world, Indian migrant workers’ salaries have disappeared following the Coronavirus lockdown measures. These laborers have been asked to pay in order to board special trains that will take them to their homes in the countryside, a decision that has provoked disdain within India. Here, the majority of laborers live off daily earnings and have survived on state handouts.

The lockdown was imposed on March 25, and since then, it has been estimated that approximately 10 million laborers are stuck in cities across India, with no work, income, family, or home. One of the most severe lockdown measures includes ceasing public transport. Because of this, there are numerous workers that were forced to walk hundreds of miles to their homes, in what some are calling a “massive reverse migration”. If a worker chose to remain, they were segregated into a government shelter.

The lockdown was set to end this past Monday, however it has now been extended for a third time. With so many extensions, the workers were not prepared for the time they have been spent in lockdown. They no longer have any money to recharge their phones, meaning they do not have any means to communicate with their family. Despite all these circumstances, the government has told them that if they wish to board the special trains that will transport them home, they need to pay for their own fee.

The government has since defended its decision, claiming that it was essential in order to be sure that only those “really stranded” were the ones to use the train service.

While these workers are suffering from these conditions, the Indian government has been plenty busy arranging (free) flights home for affluent Indians who were abroad at the time of the lockdown. Over 1,000 people have received these free flights.

“At first I thought it was a joke. We have to pay? My last few rupees went on recharging my phone so I could speak to my children. Where am I going to get the money for the fare?”

Badal Raj, a carpenter from Patna who lives in a shelter in Delhi

Some of these train fares can go up to 800 rupees (around 10 dollars) , when a worker earning by the day is typically making between 200-600 rupees (2-8 dollars) daily. And even that salary is absent in these times.

Opposition politicians are outraged at the injustice and cruelty of asking for a train fare, and they aren’t afraid to hide their opinion.

The National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, tweeted: “If you are stuck abroad … the government will fly you back for free, but if you are a migrant worker stranded in another state, be prepared to cough up the money for the cost of travel.”

Another party, the Samajwadi, has called the decision “highly shameful”, coming from the party’s leader Akhilesh Yadav. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party president, has since announced that the party decided they would cover the cost of travel as a “humble contribution” towards the laborers. She stated that these people are the backbone of their economy, and that their sacrifice is the foundation of the Indian nation.

After the mounting criticism, Railway Minister Pyush Goyal’s office has since said that they would be paying for 85% of the prices, and state governments would cover the resting 15%.

Aside from Sonia Gandhi’s promise, she shed some light on the Narendra Modi government, and the fact that they had spent 1 billion rupees (around 13.2 million dollars) on financing the food and transportation of guests attending an event to welcome Donald Trump, just a month and a half ago, but are not financing these journeys.

To add onto the difficulties these workers are facing, new reports gather that before they are allowed to board, they will need to obtain a medical certificate that establishes they do not have any flu-like symptoms. There have been some indications that suggest the state governments would coordinate mass screening for workers prior to boarding.

This means that laborers are now defeatedly attempting to obtain medical certificates in places and situations where local hospitals and doctors are not available to them.

Stranded Workers Action Network, an NGO, has prepared a report that showcases the fact that there have been several days in which Indian workers were close to starving, saying:

“Owing to the lack of cash and food availability, many had been eating frugally and some had even been on the brink of starvation,”

Report published by Stranded Workers Action Network

Aside from, this, the report also spotlights physical and psychological trauma coming from many interviewees, noting the absolute desperation to get home.

This Saturday, the government began running these special trains for those stranded to travel home. 13 trains have taken migrants from Bangalore, Kota, Surat, and Sabarmati. There were also two special trains (carrying approximately 2,000 workers) that arrived in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

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