Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus. On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused, the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears. You have learnt many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate the sufferings of migrants in similar situations?
What the examiner wants
Identify ethical issues in the 2020 migrant crisis, define an ethical care-giving state, and suggest civil society's role.
Demand-wise check
- 1Issues: right to life and dignity, lack of planning, food and transport, exclusion from benefits (non-portable ration), invisibility of informal workers≈50 words
- 2Caring state: anticipates needs, protects the vulnerable, communicates, ensures dignity and portability≈50 words
- 3Civil society: food, transport, shelters, data, counselling, linking to schemes≈50 words
- 4Reforms: ONORC, eShram, rental housing≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Only describing the crisis
- No definition of a care-giving state
Draw this
- Three boxes: state, civil society, migrants
Value addition
- SchemeOne Nation One Ration Card made ration entitlements portable across states (full rollout 2022).Department of Food and Public Distribution
- SchemeeShram portal (2021) registered over 30 crore unorganised workers.Ministry of Labour
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 39 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 39 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 31 ↗Same syllabus reference
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