<p>Labour rights activists urged the state government to immediately provide financial aid for the loss of work, besides dry rations to prevent a major crisis.</p>.<p>They said that the government has already escaped its responsibility by avoiding the use of the word 'lockdown' for the May 7-10 restrictions which was called as 'Janata Curfew',</p>.<p>Manjunath Kamble of the Indian National Migrant Workers Union said. "Now, there is talk of a lockdown of six more weeks. The government should provide a minimum of Rs 5,000 and ration kits for all the laborers for the month of May and June," he said.</p>.<p>Advocate Maitreyi Krishnan said the government should have learnt from the past year's "mistakes" but was bent on repeating the same. "In fact, the measures taken this time are much weaker than last year's. The government had in 2020 issued directions against retrenchment and eviction of people over delay in payment of rent. This time, there is only an appeal against eviction," she said.</p>.<p>She said an order should be passed to bar both salary cuts and retrenchments. "People are yet to recover from last year's lockdown. Any retrenchment would prove to be the last straw," she said.</p>.<p>Activists have already moved the court seeking economic and social security for people from the unorganised sector. While Rs 5,000 per month is too inadequate to cover for the rent, utility expenses and medical costs, they believe that a full provision of dry ration includng rice, dal, oil, spices will help lakhs of people survive the crisis in a humane way.</p>.<p>Another activist said that food distribution through Indira Canteen failed last year and the government had hopped on the Garib Kalyan Yojana, which also did not succeed in helping the people. "Finally they delivered some ration kits in a haphazard way and announced a policy to provide financial aid which reached less than half of beneficiaries," he added.</p>.<p>"While Indira canteen food distribution is welcome, asking people to line up three times in a day will only lead to increased risk of the spread of the virus. Ration kits will allow people to stay home and avoid infection," Maitreyi added.</p>.<p>Even last year, trade unions had moved the Labour Department against companies, including government sector units, for failing to provide wages to contract workers. The department was yet to take up the issues with officials citing Covid duty for delay in processing the files.</p>
<p>Labour rights activists urged the state government to immediately provide financial aid for the loss of work, besides dry rations to prevent a major crisis.</p>.<p>They said that the government has already escaped its responsibility by avoiding the use of the word 'lockdown' for the May 7-10 restrictions which was called as 'Janata Curfew',</p>.<p>Manjunath Kamble of the Indian National Migrant Workers Union said. "Now, there is talk of a lockdown of six more weeks. The government should provide a minimum of Rs 5,000 and ration kits for all the laborers for the month of May and June," he said.</p>.<p>Advocate Maitreyi Krishnan said the government should have learnt from the past year's "mistakes" but was bent on repeating the same. "In fact, the measures taken this time are much weaker than last year's. The government had in 2020 issued directions against retrenchment and eviction of people over delay in payment of rent. This time, there is only an appeal against eviction," she said.</p>.<p>She said an order should be passed to bar both salary cuts and retrenchments. "People are yet to recover from last year's lockdown. Any retrenchment would prove to be the last straw," she said.</p>.<p>Activists have already moved the court seeking economic and social security for people from the unorganised sector. While Rs 5,000 per month is too inadequate to cover for the rent, utility expenses and medical costs, they believe that a full provision of dry ration includng rice, dal, oil, spices will help lakhs of people survive the crisis in a humane way.</p>.<p>Another activist said that food distribution through Indira Canteen failed last year and the government had hopped on the Garib Kalyan Yojana, which also did not succeed in helping the people. "Finally they delivered some ration kits in a haphazard way and announced a policy to provide financial aid which reached less than half of beneficiaries," he added.</p>.<p>"While Indira canteen food distribution is welcome, asking people to line up three times in a day will only lead to increased risk of the spread of the virus. Ration kits will allow people to stay home and avoid infection," Maitreyi added.</p>.<p>Even last year, trade unions had moved the Labour Department against companies, including government sector units, for failing to provide wages to contract workers. The department was yet to take up the issues with officials citing Covid duty for delay in processing the files.</p>
