“Fake news led to migrants’ exodus,” said the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a bid to shift responsibility from their own shoulders to the journalists. However, a question can be asked as to who is responsible and empowered to check the menace of fake news? If the fake news circulated freely, and a good number of them were being circulated by their own people, whose failure it was? How such a situation came in which people preferred to believe allegedly on ‘fake news’ rather than government’s assurances? Answers to such questions point towards reliability deficit in the government and the governance stemming from callousness of the ruling establishment.

To make the situation more understandable, the proverbial parrots’ story is worth mentioning here. A man encaged three parrots and hung the cage from the ceiling purportedly to save them from snake. After that he forgets even to supply them the means of sustenance. While they were extremely suffering in thirst and hunger, the snake sneaked into their confines and ate one of them. One of them died of severe malnutrition and hunger. The third one somehow escaped, and in his flight exhausted himself to such an extent that he dropped down dead. Such is the effect of locking some down, that we traditionally know. Limiting the ability and capacity of an individual led to the tragedies. Allegorically, the snake represents the COVID-19, the lockdown represents the encaging, the parrots represent the people. Finance minister tried to make God responsible for this human tragedy, Ministry of Home tried to blame on ‘fake news’, Ministry of Health put the blame on people for not observing their direction, and the Ministry of Labour says that they don’t have even data on death of migrant labours, therefore, there is no question of compensation. The men responsible for locking people down, not providing them means of sustenance, medical help, and protection from the danger, despite constitutional guarantee, are justifying their ways. It’s shamelessness.

Now come to the death of migrant labours. Records of death in India is maintained by the Registrar of Births and Deaths which has been made responsible by an Act of Parliament. Deaths in hospitals are recorded, that Minister of Health must be knowing. He is holding a position in WHO, an organization that supports in registering every birth and death. Ministry of Urban Affair may also know about every death from the crematoriums or graveyards, who maintain records of death along with the municipal areas under which they operate. Ministry of Home Affairs can know about every death from the department under them that maintains record of deaths. Only two months ago in July this year, the annual report of the births and deaths was published for the year 2018. The whole system is online. Government can know about every death in the country. Ministry of Labour saying “they don’t have data about migrant labours’ death” in unacceptable. They can know about deaths if they want to compensate, but they don’t want to.

The Vital Statistics under the Civil Registration System published for 2018, only two months ago, reveals that they have a mechanism to know every death, along with the system of registration of each of them. As per the information given, total deaths in 2018 was 80.77 lakh in the country out of which 86 per cent were registered at the time of compilation of the report. Out of them 2.5 per cent were infant deaths.

It must be known to everyone that Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Chandigarh, NCT Delhi, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, and Puducherry were able to register 100 per cent of deaths in their jurisdiction. Out of total incidents of known deaths, Chhattisgarh succeeded in registering 83.5, Himachal Pradesh 83.9, Maharashtra 98.4, Meghalaya 89.7, Rajasthan 99.9, and West Bengal 91.8. Since 2018, almost 21 months have elapsed, with emphasis of digitalization. By now government must be in a position to know about almost all deaths, and missing persons. Government’s saying that they don’t have data on deaths of migrant workers is thus denoting their unwillingness to prepare data about deaths to avoid giving compensation for loss of lives.

Government’s another attitude is even more disturbing. When people of the country were demanding universal access to and availability of medical facilities under Ministry of Health, Modi government launched a health insurance scheme called Ayushman Bharat under Ministry of Finance. What an insurance policy can do if there are no doctors, nurses, hospital beds, oxygen etc are available or accessible for a common man? The country’s health expenditure was merely 1.28 per cent of the GDP in 2017-18, which the government is trying to increase to 2.5 per cent by 2025. India’s public expenditure on health continues to remain the lowest globally, which is the real cause of human tragedy we are facing today, for which only government is responsible.

The next comes the question of compensation to loss of livelihood or the means of sustenance for working class. Government is callous in their intent and actions. Even laws protecting workforce are being amended or suspended that violates their statutory and other rights paving the ways for their exploitation. What they needed at this time is the protection from the government, but they are suffering apathy and neglect. Government’s statement in the parliament and outside shows government’s callousness about the COVID-19 related measures in general and the neglect and apathy toward the working class in particular.
(IPA Service)