Activists Puncture Govt s Claims on Steps It Took to Combat Migrant Workers Crisis
Experts say the Centreâs claims in rebuttal to the recent Freedom House report on the state of democracy in India belie ground reality.
Migrant workers walk with their children to their villages after India announced a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Reuters
Rights06/Mar/2021
New Delhi: In its rebuttal to the Freedom House report titled ‘Democracy Under Siege’ in which it has been claimed that Indiaâs status as a free country has declined to âpartly freeâ, the Centre has claimed that it was âmisleading, incorrect and misplaced“. The Indian government then proceeded to spell out what it did for migrant workers and towards enhancing food security during the pandemic.
SURAT: Centre for Social Studies (CSS) will be coming out with a fact-finding report on the tragic accident on January 19 near Kim crossroad where 15 migrants were crushed by a truck in their sleep.
CSS has formed a fact-finding committee of nine members to identify the reasons that caused the accident and what can be done to prevent such incidents in the future. The committee will make its first report public after preliminary study.
The committee includes Kiran Desai, director of CSS; Hemant Shah, economist; Vipul Pandya, of Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan; Krishnakant Chauhan, a social worker; Kirti Patel, retired labour department official; Uttam Parmar, activist; Shantilal Mina and Denis Macwan, both from Prayas Centre for Labour Research and Action; and Sanjay Patel of Aajeevika Bureau.