Behind the high suicide rate among daily wage labourers

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THE LEAFLET

The Leaflet

Behind the high suicide rate among daily wage labourers | The Leaflet

Acknowledgement: In our political and mainstream discourse, socio-economic inequality (which increased in India due to the pandemic) is hardly given the attention it deserves, being looked at as a by-product of policies that just has to be lived with. This was most reflective during the protests against the controversial farm laws, as many commentators thought that even if the farm bills induced inequality they were better for the economy. The current attitude of the Union Government towards the disparity in wealth was also reflected very well when members of the ruling party chose to disparagingly call social welfare measures "rewadi culture". Inequality needs to be addressed as a problem for there to be a solution.
Rebuilding: So far, policy measures taken for people in the unorganised sector have been related to mere survival. For example, focusing on providing free ration of food grains and vaccines. However, as we move towards economic recovery, it is important to address people's aspirations and create opportunities. Schemes such as the the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act can be used. Steps should be taken to ensure that people who have lost livelihood find similarly placed jobs. An approach can be based on using the upcoming census's data to specifically target communities which have lost the most during the pandemic. The immediate crisis that needs to be dealt with is inflation; getting it under control is absolutely crucial in order to stop the further erosion of the lower socio-economic classes' wealth.
Prevention: As the world becomes a more unstable place, the State needs to become ready and prepared for the possibility of facing similar situations better. Thus, there need to be strong safety nets for unorganised workers. Something like unemployment insurance can be a method. Ensuring that there exists infrastructure and Standard Operation Procedures to deal with such situations, like emergency food kits, travel arrangements and easing up of loans, will also be necessary.

Behind the high suicide rate among daily wage labourers

Why the data on suicides is currently in the news?

What are the possible causes of this crisis?

What are the economic factors?

What are the solutions policy makers must look at?