Migrant Workers Not ‘Escaping’, Society Failed Them: Goonj Founder
Did it take a pandemic and a lockdown for the country’s privileged to understand who does the bulk of our work?
Even though the coronavirus pandemic is the big crisis of the moment, for the underprivileged it is hunger and starvation that is the bigger crisis.
Did it take a pandemic and a lockdown for the country’s privileged to understand who does the bulk of our work?
“Someone who has built our lives, someone who has made our houses, someone who grows our rice didn’t even trust us for a minute. What made them take a huge decision to pack up their little belongings and start marching back home?” asks Anshu Gupta, Founder of the Goonj.
“They aren’t escaping, they are looking for a place which is secure for them,” he adds.
The migrant labourers who help running our households are stuck in cities without jobs and money. The farmers who bring food to our plates are at the receiving end of an agrarian crisis triggered by the lockdown.
Click on the player below to listen to the full podcast.
Tune in to this podcast where we speak with Anshu Gupta, Founder-Director of Goonj, an NGO that is currently helping the migrant workers on the ground.
Gupta talks about why the labourers felt the necessity to take the drastic measure of walking back home, what the government needs to do for them and what citizens like you and I can do.
The Quint has partnered with Goonj in their Rahat COVID-19 initiative to support the migrant workers.
We urge you to click here and donate. All monetary donations are critical for essential purchase and logistics to support the affected communities.
Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
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