A group of experts recommended a change in the zonal colour approach taken up by the Rajasthan government for the opening of business activities after the easing of lockdown restrictions imposed due to the spread of COVID-19.
From 11 red zone districts on April 15, the State has decreased the number to eight, along with a reduction in the rigorous measures that had previously been undertaken to contain the spread of the virus.
Various activist groups, working under the banner of Jan Prayas and headed by development economist Bina Agarwal from the University of Manchester, said here on Wednesday that the zonal colour approach would be ineffective because asymptomatic persons in a green zone could infect others and, in turn, the supply chains that ran across zones. “Industries should be allowed to open up in all zones, including red zones, as long as they have a starting pool of green workers,” they said.
Kavita Srivastava, the Rajasthan president for the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said a memorandum with the recommendations had been sent to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after a brief telephonic conversation with him.
The experts said that industries with live-in workers must be monitored to ensure that the workers are provided with adequate shelter, food and water. Moreover, industries should be granted permission to operate only if they had paid their dues to the workers for the work done since the lockdown began on March 21 in the State.
Highlighting the suggestions made by Ms. Agarwal, who has worked on livelihoods, property rights, poverty and inequality, the group said the State should reconsider quarantine guidelines, ensure food security and the workers’ safety. The State should also increase the number of antibody tests done to confirm if a worker was free from the infection, it added.
Recovered COVID-19 patients should be given certificates in order to reduce societal discrimination against them, they said, adding that this would make it easier for them to reintegrate and be employable with minimal risk.
Moreover, workers cleared in such a manner could constitute a pool of “green workers”, who could then be safely employed.
The group also raised the issue of migrant workers, adding that their transport, food and water supply during the journey back to their States should be provided free of cost.
Jan Prayas said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) should be expanded to more than one family member till the next financial year and the minimum days of work should be increased to 180. A similar employment guarantee scheme for urban areas should also be initiated, they said.
Recommending a change in quarantine guidelines, the experts said that the present procedure of an entire workforce being quarantined due to a single worker testing positive should be re-examined. “An alternative would be to shift the worker affected by the virus to a quarantine centre and allow the rest to continue working. But it should not be done for workers living at home, since that would put their families at risk,” the group said.
The experts said that families not covered under the National Food Security Act should be given the same entitlement of cereals, pulses, oil and other essential items. Moreover, ragpickers, garbage collectors, sweepers and other frontline workers should be given masks and gloves for free. Contracts could also be given to self-help groups to make these items, it said.
Groups represented in Jan Prayas include the Right to Information Manch, Centre for Equity Studies, Rajasthan Asangatith Mazdoor Union, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Helping Hands Foundation.