Even during normal times, we do not see the travails faced by a women worker in informal sector; her struggles, her distress, and the discrimination she faces at every stage. We come across these women workers everyday - at construction sites, in farms, as street vendors, as domestic workers, as rag pickers and at many such jobs. Since the last three weeks, these workers have hardly been able to go out to earn a living. Although, government has allowed agriculture and allied sectors to be operational, it remains to be seen how this becomes operational in different states as the market has gone down and the buyers are not forthcoming. With little or no savings and uncertain work, these already indebted workers have no option but to depend on government doles for survival.
Miseries of these women workers compound if they have additional vulnerabilities; being single, aged, a person with physical or mental disability, critically ill, pregnant or women with small and lactating children. They require additional care and attention so that they can access various services provided by the government without facing discrimination and stigma from the community.
Take the case of a Domestic Worker, Laxmi Jena, who represents the plight of a single woman. 6-year-old Laxmi is a widow who stays alone in a small kutcha house of Jena sahi, Odisha. Her only source of income to meet her daily dietary needs is domestic work. She earns around Rs 3,000 per month from domestic work, gets 5 Kg rice through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and receives a Widow Pension of Rs 500 per month. Due to old age and health issues, she is not able to work for the entire month and thus, does not get the full pay.
60-year-old domestic help Laxmi Jena.
"Due to the Corona situation, the entire district is closed down and there is no option to go for daily wage work, I cannot even go for domestic work. This disease has hit hard on the livelihood of many others like me. If this situation continues, then I shall remain unfed. Whatever support government has given (advance pension and PDS rice for 3 months), including the hot cooked food, it is great relief for me. But government should also think about supporting us beyond the lockdown period,” says Laxmi.
While Laxmi represents the heart-breaking struggles of a single women form Balasore, Odisha, another women, Ambika, from Subarnapur, Odisha, signifies the struggles of a single woman to feed her children. Where should I go in this situation, she asks us. Ambika Banchoor was left alone with her two girl children when her husband passed away one year back. Ambika belongs to the Dalit community of GP Mayurudan village, located in Subarnapur district. She is landless and has no other means of livelihood. She has been feeding her children through wage work in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which is usually at a construction site, in agricultural fields or other household work. Getting work for the whole month is difficult task and when she does, she earns about Rs 3,000 to 4,000 per month.
.jpg?w=200&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max "Forget Nutrition, These Odisha Villagers Face Starvation")
