44% Families in Delhi-NCR Took Loan For Home Expenses During Lockdown: Study

After 67 days of lockdown in the country, life is slowly returning to the right track. But in 67 days of lockdown, citizens had to go through a lot of hardships. A survey conducted in Delhi-NCR by the National Council of Applied Economic Research claimed that the lockdown imposed to prevent coronavirus epidemic has squeezed the pockets of the common people. According to the survey, 44 percent of the families in Delhi-NCR had to take a loan to run a house during the lockdown.

According to the survey conducted in June, about 52 percent of small traders and shopkeepers stopped their work in April-May, due to which their income dried up. 12 percent of the businessmen had shut down their work forever. Despite being unlocked now, small businessmen and shopkeepers are struggling for livelihood. 46 percent of the businessmen are saying that after April, May, there is very little work in June also because the effect of lockdown is now being seen more.

Most of these were poor daily wage laborers who were left to survive on their own. According to the survey, 67 percent daily wage labourers, 43 percent small business people, 39 percent job seekers, and 34 percent farmers survived the lockdown by borrowing loans. Apart from these, 14 percent of the families starved in lockdown for several days. Most of them were daily wage labourers.

The survey also highlights that five percent of the people in Delhi-NCR lost their jobs due to the lockdown, while 97 percent of daily wage labourers did not get any work in April and May. Most of them were those who were working in the construction sector.

However, during the lockdown, the government announced a relief package worth crores. This survey also tells the lays bare the ground reality of that package. According to this, in April, 32 percent of the families received the money in the form of government assistance, which came down to 27 percent in May. In this too only 23 percent of the families living in the cities were involved, the remaining money went to the people living in rural areas. People told that they were given 1750 rupees in April and 1000 rupees in May. It is a matter of concern that people living in cities are more hit by COVID-19, but the government did not give much attention to this section of the population.