Make Our Cities Worker-Friendly

Context: The recent migrant crisis has been exaggerated due to inability of urban settlements to provide social security to them. Making our cities worker friendly will pave the way for economic recovery.

Problems of Urban Poverty:

• High Frequency cash transaction: Urban workers have to constantly work for daily transactions like using public toilets, small meals etc. making them more vulnerable during lockdown.

• Poverty Premium: Poor pay more for the basic services as a percentage of their income than the elite.

• Absence of social infrastructure: as non-cash access to basics of human life has been exposed by the current crisis.

Way Forward: An employment absorbing, locally rooted and ecologically sensible solution.

• Urban Employment Scheme: directed towards the production of social infrastructure like ensuring food security through last mile delivery systems, in health by building neighbourhood level infrastructure like mohalla clinic etc.

• Democratic designing: of the infrastructure plans by partnering with residents and workers to develop social infrastructure creating a sense of achievement among citizens and not just being mere ‘beneficiaries ’.

• Reducing costs: through technological interventions and collective efforts providing additional benefits.

Conclusion: There is a need to understand that migration of workers is not only because of their ‘pull’ towards villages but also a ‘push’ from the cities because of unavailability of meaningful choices. Urban Employment Scheme provide safety nets to the workers in times of crisis like todays.