Coronavirus: India's poor live on promises in wake of COVID-19 crisis

No food, no work and no clue when relief will come.

That's life now for millions of informal workers in India, starved of a way to feed themselves or get the help pledged by government to survive a three-week coronavirus lockdown.

Almost a week after the government announced billions in aid, nothing is yet disbursed in this vast and labyrinthine country, forcing many of India's poorest city workers to hit the roads and begin a hazardous walk home to their villages.

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The dearth of state support and desperation on the streets has revealed the lack of security in India's job market, a problem that pervades life for the poorest right across Asia.

"I have heard about the money promised, but I have no idea how I will get it. We are about 150 workers here and have barely eaten in the last few days," Rahul Ahirwar said by phone from Delhi, where he has opted to stay put and ride out the crisis, sharing a tenement with his wife and parents.

The 26-year-old construction worker said he had called a government hotline for help but, like millions of others without paperwork or a stable job, had neither food nor fallback.

Coronavirus has infected more than 1,600 people and killed 38 in India, according to the government, since it escaped China and travelled the globe. Medics across India are struggling to curb the outbreak, saddled with a weak public healthcare system and intense overcrowding: perfect conditions for its spread.

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

Worst hit among the employed are the so-called daily wage workers, many of whom lack documentation to prove their eligibility for help in a country in thrall to bureaucracy. Other casual workers are cut off by lack of a bank account.