Name: Murugan. D
Profession: Autorickshaw driver
Family members: 4
Monthly income: ₹15,000 to ₹20,000
The Union Budget did not offer any stimulus or relief to people from low-income groups, who have been the hardest-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
My wife works as a domestic helper. There was no income during the lockdown. Even now, I don’t earn as much as I used to earn before the pandemic. I am now in a situation where I feel lucky if I earn enough to feed my family every day.
While the announcement on boosting expenditure on infrastructure and healthcare may be beneficial to the economy in the long run, it won’t be useful to people like me now. The compensation provided by the Tamil Nadu government to unorganised workers was too little, and many did not get it as they were not registered with the welfare board. I am staring at increased expenditure for the family as the situation returns to normal following the pandemic.
I was hoping for a financial package for unorganised workers like me. They did it for farmers during the last general election. Why can’t they do it now? Even the U.S. has done it.
(As told to Pon Vasanth B.A.)
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