Income insecurity has increased a lot in urban India during and after the corona pandemic. They are living in fear on many fronts since the lockdown announced in March. Many afraid of losing their job and faring livelihood problems. But many afraid of corona infection and unaffordable medical expenditure for themselves and their families. A large population fearing regular income problems for the next many months.
The above observation is partially correct because major financial crisis and job loss impact witnessed on urban Indian during this pandemic. The rural population also lost their earning and faced financial stress but not like urban people. The farmers faced a huge challenge to sell their ready crop but they are unable to do due to lockdown and transport issues. The small shop keepers selling nonessential goods also faced the challenge and shut their shop during the lockdown.
EMI life in urban India increased income insecurity during and after corona lockdown
But the financial impact on the urban population is way high comparing the rural population. From the last 2-3 decades, life in urban India has changed. People started living EMI based life which has a commitment to pay the instalment on the scheduled dates in every month. This entire EMI system got impacted due to job loss, pay cut, or business shut during the lockdown in the urban areas. Since then people living in urban areas are facing many challenges including high-income insecurity. They are not sure when their regular earnings will stabilize.
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Opposite to urban life, people living in rural India still have a convenient way of living life. The majority of people doesn’t have EMI for non-essentials. They have limited means and live life-based on essentials. They don’t take unnecessary loans for the luxury. The bank too played an important role in not giving loans to rural India. Most banks in India put the rural areas as rink zone and don’t offer loans apart from agriculture products and services. That’s why their line got least impacted during the peak of the corona pandemic.
People will not die in villages without regular income pushed urban labour to go back home
The income insecurity has pushed the millions of migrant labourers to go back home during the lockdown. The livelihood problem and income insecurity forced them to travel thousands of kilometres without food and transport for their home. They were confident that they will not die without food and shelter in their village. But they will definitely die without income in the urban area of India. And this is the harsh reality of urban Indians today. People can still survive in villages without fixed income but they can’t survive in urban India without fixed income.
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There is another reason for higher stress in urban areas due to Indifference from the centre and state government during the lockdown. There is not much relief offered to citizens of Indian on the ground. Governments only played number game and media management during the entire lockdown. Government request property owners to leave their rent, asked business houses to pay full salaries. But the government did not offer any relief rather increased prices for essential goods and petroleum products.
People living in urban India is responsible for this income insecurity and uncertainty corona period
So who is responsible for this income security in urban India? The answer is people live in cities and opted for EMP life. They are forgetting the basic principle of the Indian Lifestyle where people save money rather than spending all earning instantly via EMIs. I think coronavirus pandemic has taught a lesson for urban Indians to follow back our traditional way of life.
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The government equally responsible for this income insecurity is higher in urban Indian. They have only played number games and managed media during the lockdown. Govts has not done anything for people help during this corona pandemic. They also used diversion tactics for people to digress on nonessential issues. And they succeeded on their agenda and to date, they are running the same for diversion.
But the main responsible for this problem is the citizens residing in urban India. They are the most insecure citizen category in India. On voting day they go for holiday, on public issues they react on social media. They are afraid of raising voice against wrongdoing and wrong policies of the government. That’s the reason why all political parties and government does not bother about this class. The government offered little relief for their actual voters during the lockdown in rural areas and completely ignored urban India.
