Mahindra Group to work on building solutions to aid migrant workers, says Anand Mahindra

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra took to Twitter on Saturday to express dismay over the migrant crisis in India amid the lockdown, inviting short terms and long-term solutions for the same.

Mahindra was responding to a news article about the recent accident in Uttar Pradesh earlier today. At least 24 migrant labourers lost their lives and 15 people sustained injuries when a trailer truck carrying them collided with a DCM vehicle according to media reports.

“They are the glue that holds our economy together. We made them invisible. All of us in society, especially businesses-large & small-must hang our heads in shame. I’m requesting our Group to work on how we can help uplift them & their families. Both in the short & long term,” Mahindra tweeted.

Twitter users, responding to his tweet provided suggestions on the kind of solutions that the group can work on.

“Tech Mahindra can launch platform for employment & welfare of migrant workers. This creates a database of migrant workers & enable corporates & NGOs to get insight into their livelihood requirements & aspirations to improve life. Will Tech M take this initiative?” wrote a Twitter user to which Mahindra responded, “All such ideas are welcome.”

The situation of migrant workers has worsened amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown with many being forced to walk back home on foot as they run out of supplies. The accident in Uttar Pradesh is not a stand-alone incident.

Earlier this month, at least 16 migrant workers sleeping on rail tracks were crushed to death by a goods train in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The workers were walking back home using the rail route due to lockdown and blocks on roads according to media records.

The government has announced certain financial measures to aid migrant workers apart from running special ‘Shramik trains’ to ferry migrant workers back home.

However, according to a recent study titled titled ‘Rapid assessment of unorganised, informal and migrant workers,’ these measures are not reaching enough numbers of migrant labourers.

The study was conducted by the Department of Sociology at Savitribai Phule Pune University and organisations including the Centre for Labour Research and Action, Habitat Forum and Mashal.