BY : NEHA SHAHAB

HOW THE LOCKDOWN AND THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED HOUSEHELPERS :

 ON THE MID NIGHT OF 24 MARCH 2020 , 1.3 BILLION POPULATION WENT INTO THE WORLD BIGGEST LOCKDOWN. LOCKDOWN HITTING DAILY WAGE WORKER AND MIGRANT HARD. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL ESTIMATES MORE THAN FOUR MILLION PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED AS DOMESTIC HELPERS OFTEN FOR VERY LITTLE MONEY IN MIDDLE CLASS AND AFFLUENT INDIAN HOMES. TWO THIRD OF THESE ARE WOMEN. MANY OF HOUSE HELPER LOST THEIR JOBS AND MANY OTHERS SAY THAT ARE NOT BEING PAID SALARIES FOR THE LOCKDOWN PERIOD. THE CRISIS FOR MAIDS IS NOT ONLY SEVERE , IT IS NEVER ENDING SAYS LATHA MOHAN WHO RUNS THE ANNAI PLACEMENT AGENCY IN CHENNAI , ADDING THAT MORE THAN 80% OF THE DOMESTIC HELP REGISTERED WITH HER AGENCY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RESUME THEIR WORK. MS. DEVI WAS WORKING PART TIME IN FIVE HOMES , BUT WHEN THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS HIT THE COUNTRY AND A NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN WAS ANNOUNCED SHE SUDDENLY BECAME JOBLESS. THE FAMILY LIVES  IN SOUTH DELHI AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO PAY THE RENT FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS , SHE SAID THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HELP US. MS. DEVI IS NOT A LONE CASE. MANY OF THE DOZENS ODD DOMESTIC WORKERS HAVE LOST THEIR EMPLOYMENT DUE TO VIRUS. THE NATIONAL CAPITAL HAS ALSO NOT FIXED MINIMUM WAGE FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS AS DONE BY STATES SUCH AS KERALA , KARNATAKA , AND TAMIL NADU , ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL. COMPARE TO OTHER STATES DELHI IS WORSE IN TERMS OF LAWS OF WELFARE OF DOMESTIC WORKERS.