31 May 2020
National Day Of Mourning for People Killed Due to the COVID-19 Lockdown
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| Call for Action from PBKMS: In memory of workers killed during the government lockdown, join us in a day of mourning on June 1st and raise the Samity's demands. |
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| PBKMS Demand: We will stay in our village. We will work in our village. We will not leave our homes. We want work to survive all year in every village. |
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| PBKMS Demand: Food on every plate. Work in every hand. |
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| PBKMS Demand: Our houses have broken, give us houses. We want to stay in our villages, give us work. |
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| PBKMS Demand: In Cyclone Affected areas, start special schemes to immediately rebuild houses, drain and refill ponds, and reclaim farmland. |
National Day of Mourning – 1 June 2020
Demanding accountability for the loss
of life and livelihood due to the lockdown
The national lockdown which started on 25 March 2020 to curb
the spread of COVID 19 has caused unprecedented distress across the country.
The lockdown has been especially brutal for migrants, homeless, and other poor
people. It has resulted in large-scale starvation, denial of medical care, exhaustion,
accidents of people travelling back home, police atrocities and other gross
hardships, which have together claimed about 700 lives by May-end. We will
observe 1 June as the Day of National Mourning to highlight the colossal loss
of life and livelihood that continues because of the brutal lockdown and utter
apathy of the central government and many state governments.
Instead of ensuring adequate and timely relief to those
without food or money, the central government has been urging the public to
participate in misplaced campaigns such as “thali bajao”, “diya jalao” and “phool
barsao”. The rations and cash transfers eventually announced by the government
have reached people with delays. Millions of people without ration cards or
bank accounts have been excluded from even this meagre relief. The government
has finally started inter-state buses and trains, but the delays, accidents and
shortage of food and water during the journey have caused additional hardship –
and even death – for those stranded away from their homes.
We demand:
- A universal public distribution system that provides every individual with 10 kg grain, 1.5 kg pulses and 800 gm cooking oil for at least the next six months.
- Nutritious hot cooked meals through anganwadi centres and school midday meals.
- Annual 240 days of employment under MGNREGA to every person and introduction of an urban employment guarantee scheme.
- Cash transfers of at least Rs 7000 per household for at least the next six months.
- Safe travel facilities for migrants and others stranded in different parts of the country.
- 3 percent GDP investment for strengthening of the public health system to enable universal, comprehensive and free at user-interface services including free testing and treatment of COVID-19.
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