RETHINKING IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19 MIGRANT …

Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management StudiesXISS, Ranchi, Vol. 19, No. 1, January-March 2021, pp. 8617-8633

RETHINKING ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT ABHIYAAN IN THECONTEXT OF COVID-19 MIGRANT LABOURERS:

A CHALLENGE

Shyamal Gomes1

In March 2020, the sudden lockdown in India due to COVID-19severely affected 8-10 million migrant labourers who are thebackbone of Indian minor, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).They struggled with various issues like starvation, transportationto return home, sexual violence, Corona-phobia, Islamo-phobia andjob insecurity as well as labour rights. Moreover, because of Centrevs State conflicts as well as social stigma like caste-class-power, thepoor and marginalized labourers lost their basic/fundamentalnecessities. As a socio-economic reformer, on 12th May 2020, theHon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Damodardas Modiannounced a combined fiscal, monetary, regulatory, and structuralreform packages of INR 20 trillion, about 10 per cent of India’sGDP, and explained India’s economic and social strategy postulatedunder the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (ABA) self-reliant Indiamovement, and Be-Vocal-for-Local (BVFL). However, this articletries to examine and elaborate the text based on the challenges andopportunities of ABA and BVFL in the context of migrant labourers..

Keywords : Lockdown, Migrant Labourers, Atmanirbhar BharatAbhiyaan, Be Vocal for Local, COVID-19

Introduction

The present study tries to examine the challenges andopportunities of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan in the context of migrantlabourers. Before going into the details of the studies, it will be of greatimportance to look into some of the theoretical propositions that theearlier studies have made in both the fields of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,and the ‘migrant labourers’. A theory is expected to perform two majorfunctions, namely, explanation and prediction of a phenomenon. Broadlyspeaking, Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) is an old concept. Literarymeaning of it is to depend upon an internal resources of the economy.

However, there is no universally acceptable theory of ‘migration’,which can explain the existing phenomenon of migration of people(labour) and product its future course. What we have is a set ofhypothesizes and propositions that constitute higher –levelgeneralization in the field of migrant labourers. However, study onhuman migration (migrant labour) itself is relatively a recent

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1 Professor, Department of Human Resource Management, Xavier Institute ofSocial Service (XISS), Ranchi, Jharkhand. Email: [email protected]

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phenomenon. Only in the 19th century to we see some serious study(Ravenstein, 1885) in the field.

The basic concept of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is human dignity,equality, and social justice. There three concepts and not separate anddistinct but interrelated and dependent on each other. The emphasisis on co-operation as against competition. It lays emphasis on collectivityas against rugged individualism.

Since then, lot more interest has been shown by various scholars.The range of study itself has been multi-faceted anthropological,demographic, historical, sociological, economic, political, development,culture to name a few. It is a matter of fact that struggle for a survivalor better livelihood is an intrinsic part of human culture. Migrationfrom the place of scarcity to the plenty has always been attractingpeople individually as well as collectively. But studies on migrationindicate that migration is both a challenge and a opportunity.

State-wise Migrants during the Pandemic

The Hindi belt is the main source of migrants. According to theCensus (2011), four States, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh accounted for 50 per cent of India’s total inter-statemigrants. On the other side, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, UttarPradesh and Haryana housed 50 per cent of the country’s inter-statemigrants. As widely believed, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar State areresponsible for the most migrants. According to the 2011 Census, 20.9million people migrated outside the state from these two States.

The table 1 gives the state-wise picture of out and in migrantslabourers in India.

Table-1. State wise Status of out and in MigrantsSl Out Migrants In Migrants

State Numbers in Lakh State Numbers in Lakh1 Uttar Pradesh 104.71 Maharashtra 71.642 Bihar 42.21 Delhi 52.183 Rajasthan 28.97 Hariyana 32.264 Madhya Pradesh 25.52 Gujarat 30.905 Karnataka 21.95 Uttar Pradesh 25.316 Andra Pradesh 19.09 Madhya Pradesh 23.807 West Bengal 15.74 Jharkhand 21.618 Maharashtra 14.20 Karnataka 21.479 Gujarat 14.07 West Bengal 21.1510 Jharkhand 13.28 Punjab 19.17Source: Census, 2011

Rethinking Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan in the Context of Covid-19 8619

Figure 1 (given below) reveals that between 2001 and 2011, therewas an increase in the growth rate of migrants headed for otherdestinations within their own states as compared to those headedoutward. The number of so-called inter-state migrants grew at 55 percent between the 1991 and the 2001 Census. This came down to just33 per cent between the 2001 and 2011 Census. In contrast, the rate ofgrowth in so-called inter-district migrants (within the same state)increased from 30 per cent between the 1991 and 2001 census to 58 percent between 2001 and 2011. Not only are people moving within states,they are moving within districts. The growth in intra-district migration(movement within the same district) increased from 33 per cent to 45per cent between 1991-2001 and 2001-11. Evidently, people are findingbetter opportunities closer home than they were before.Source: Census 1991, 2001, 2011

Source: Census 1991, 2001, 2011

What drives migration in India? The reasons vary by gender.Two-thirds of women who reported having migrated from their lastplace of residence cited marriage as the reason. Among men, work andbusiness account for one-third of total migrations, which is also thesingle largest reason for migration among men. While migration formarriage among women is skewed towards closer distances, men donot seem to factor in distance while migrating for work. However, theprimary reasons for migration are as follows:

Table-2. Reasons of – Intra and Inter –District/State Migration(in %)

Reasons Intra - District Inter -District Inter - StateWork / Business 35.1 34.7 30.3Education 53.8 32.4 13.8Marriage 65.4 26.6 8.1After birth with household 54.8 29.2 15.9Others 73.7 18.0 8.3Source Census, 2011

District-wise migration data in the Economic Survey for2016-17 reveal that the highest influx of migrants within thecountry is seen in city-districts such as Gurugram, Delhi andMumbai along with Gautam Buddh Nagar (Uttar Pradesh);Indore, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh); Bangalore (Karnataka);Thiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Erode, Coimbatore (TamilNadu). The districts showing the highest outward movement of migrantworkers include Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur,Kaushambi, Faizabad and 33 other districts in Uttar Pradesh,Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudra Prayag, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal,Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat in Uttarakhand; Churu,Jhunjhunu, Pali in Rajasthan; Darbhanga, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran,Sheikhpura, Bhojpur, Buxar, Jehanabad in Bihar; Dhanbad,Lohardaga, Gumla in Jharkhand; and Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg inMaharashtra.

As per the Report of the Working Group on Migration, 2017 underthe Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, 17 districtsaccount for the top 25 per cent of India’s total male out-migration.Then of these districts are in UP, six in Bihar and one in Odisha.Relatively less developed states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradeshhave high net out-migration. Relatively more developed states like Goa,Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnatakatake positive CMM values reflecting net immigration. The largestrecipient was the Delhi region, which accounted for more than half ofmigration in 2015-16, while Uttar Pradesh and Bihar taken togetheraccount for half of total out-migrants. Maharashtra, Goa and TamilNadu had major net in-migration, while Jharkhand and MadhyaPradesh had major net out-migration,” the Economic Survey hadfurther stated.

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The Report of the Working Group on Migration shows that theshare of migrant workers is the highest in construction sector forfemales (67 per cent in urban areas, 73 per cent in rural areas), whilehighest number of male migrant workers are employed in publicservices (transport, postal, public administration services) and modernservices (financial intermediation, real estate, renting, education,health) at 16 per cent each and 40 per cent each in rural and urbanareas, respectively.

Actually, migrant labourers are the backbone of India’s informalsector and micro, small and medium enterprises. Their crisscrossingof states for jobs signifies economic integration, and also inter-regionaland rural-urban disparities. While empowering themselves, they alsoenrich their home and host states. Generally, the migrants circulateannually for seasonal work, while others have become more or lesspermanent residents in their adopted state(s). A minority are fortunateto have fixed work while the majority are compelled to look for temporarywork and migrate from place to place in search of short-termemployment (Mazumdar, Neetha & Agnihotri, 2013). These labourersare predominantly from impoverished Dalit, Adivasi and Muslimcommunities - from the most economically backward regions in thecountry and across the border in Nepal and Bangladesh (Samaddar,2020). They are the muscle, blood and bones that power the prosperityof different states and indeed the entire nation. Yet within India, theyrepresent the invisible 99 per cent whose exploitation is intrinsic tothe enrichment of the 1 per cent, or the Indian Dollar Billionaires(Oxfam, 2019).

The Challenges

On March 24 2020, Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi (India)announced a three-week national lockdown to stop the spread of thecoronavirus. Drawing on his usual blend of Hindu mythology,advertising jingoist speak, and martial rhetoric, Modi announced awar against Corona. He said, “The Mahabharata war was won in 18days… Our aim is to win this [Corona] war in 21 days” (Times ofIndia, 2020). He gave the country a total of four hours notice to preparefor the cessation of life as we knew it. At the time of the sudden lockdown, the million of migrant labourers in different states were helpless.Majority of them became unemployed overnight. These migrantsespecially the women, men and children who provide their blood andsweats in the field of construction, factories and small units, tea-coffeeplantations, brick industry, food service industry, domestic work, wastecollection, the taxi industry, the restaurant industry, care serviceindustry and other informal and organised economic sectors were


shocked. Shortly thereafter, they ran out of food and money to payrent. Local authorities declared the high-density slums which mostcalled home “containment zones”, and placed severe and overnightrestrictions on movement. Migrants living on construction sites wereabandoned by their employers and forced to venture outside for foodand water when they often encountered anti-Muslim, anti-Chinese andanti-outsider abuse (Dalasanoor 2020). Neither they had jobs, norincome, moreover limited space (rented rooms/ accommodation) whereyoung, adult, child (male & female) forced to stay all the time (becauseof Lockdown and afraid of COVID-19) . the following photographs (1 to7) are self-explanatory:

COVID -19 lockdown: At the Ranchi – Kolkata Highway, whichwitnessed the crisis of migrant labourers with aged and Children.(Source / Credit Photo: Sanjay Kanojia /AFP).

COVID -19 lockdown: At the Delhi – Kolkata Highway, whichwitnessed a sea of migrant labourers for almost a week. (Source /Express Photo: Amit Mehera).

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India coronavirus lockdown: At the Gujarat-Madhya Pradeshborder, which witnessed a sea of migrant labourers. (Source / ExpressPhoto: Gajendra Yadav).

In solidarity with Prime Minister Modi, Indians rang bells,banged thalis (steel plates), and lit diyas (oil lamps) from the safetyand comfort of their socially distanced, well-supplied homes at regularintervals through the lockdown. However, migrant workers remainedinvisible to the official gaze until they decided to walk thousands ofkilometres home. They had neither money nor food but they refused toallow their precarious lives to descend further into indignity and abuse.This powerful act of resistance led to a steady stream of news reportswhich documented callous and inhumane treatment by police, officials,and countless others seeking to exploit their desperation.

The death toll from these long marches during the height of theIndian summer got the attention of media and social workers. However,this was a problematic visibility. Official and media discourse becamedominated by problematic, gendered representations of migrants ascarriers of disease, objects of charity and even super-heroes capable ofsuperhuman feats of endurance (Thapliyal, 2020). It would take theModi administration another four weeks to come up with a nationalplan to transport these workers into their homes. The plan to arrangespecial trains and buses were given another catchy name, ‘Shramik(Worker) Specials’, but incommensurate resources to respond to themagnitude of need. However, the national lockdown (COVID-19) hasthreatened to unravel this fabric. Their exodus from host states hascreated a humanitarian and health security challenge, and a logisticalnightmare. Heartbreaking images of the grueling trek back home ofdistressed migrant labourers and the tragic loss of lives in road accidentshave shaken India’s conscience. The operation, Shramik Express, whichwas ensuring the safe return of over four million migrants by busesand trains, ultimately showed that the government has mounted awhatever-it-takes response.

Survival of the Fittest: ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (ABA)and “Be Vocal for Local” (BVFL)

On May 12, 2020 in his fifth address to the nation, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi announced an economic package totaling Rs 20 lakhcrore to tide over the Covid-19 crisis under ‘Atma-nirbhar BharatAbhiyan’. The Rs 20 lakh crore package includes the government’srecent announcements on supporting key sectors and measures byReserve Bank of India. The Prime Minister in the address to the nationsaid, “It is our responsibility to ensure that the 21st Century belongsto India. The path to this is one – ‘Atma-nirbhar Bharat’ or Self-dependent India. The world’s biggest lockdown imposed to contain thespread of COVID-19 has severely impacted the domestic economicactivities as it brought nearly 70 per cent of economic activity,


investment, exports, and discretionary consumption to a standstill.So, to improve the prevailing turbulent economic environment and toprovide a boost to the ailing economy, the central government of Indiaannounced the Atma-nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, a financial package ofRs 20 lakh crore equaling to 10 per cent of the national GDP. Accordingto PM Modi, “when India speaks of self-reliance, it does not advocatefor a self-centered system, in India’s self-reliance there will be a concernfor the whole world’s happiness, cooperation and peace.” However,according to Prime Minister Modi “India’s self-reliance could be basedon five (5) pillars: economy, infrastructure, technology driven system,vibrant demography and demand, which details are as follows:

Economy - the First Pillar

Without strong and diversified economy, manifested not just ininternal and external macroeconomic indicators, but in avoidingcounterproductive imbalances in demand and supply, India’s majorchallenges of providing productive livelihoods and addressingurbanization challenges cannot be pursued vigorously. Therefore, thispillar is of crucial importance but must be integrated with others.Select examples of how ABA and BVFL are already being applied tothe economy are the following:

First, in a very short period since the pandemic took hold,India has become the second largest producer globally of nearly0.3 million PPEs and N95 masks per day. A PPE kit includesmasks (surgical and N-95), gloves (surgical and examination),coveralls and gowns, head cover, goggles, face-shields and shoe cover.More than 600 companies in India are certified to produce PPEs, whoseglobal market worth is expected to be over USD 92.5 billion by 2025,up from USD 52.7 billion in 2019. India aims to participate in thismarket.

Second, India is determined to enhance its domestic defenceproduction capabilities, even as it continues its reliance on France,the United States and other countries for defence equipment. Consistentwith the interpretation of the two strategic terms provided above, Indiaplans to be an integral part of international trade and supply chain inthe wide range of defense sector products and services. The defenseordinance factories are to be corporatized, paving way for private sectorparticipation.

Third, India is set to further enhance its global competitivenessin the space sector.

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Fourth, India has established a task force to increase domesticproduction of oil seeds to obtain greater security for its cooking oilsupplies. The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh plans todevelop herbal belt with medicinal and herbal trees along 800 kmnational and state highways. In different occasions, he said that theseplants will provide raw materials for the medicines and will also helpin curbing the erosion of land. Arrangements for rain water rechargingsystem on these herbal roads have been made.

Fifth, India’s Reliance industries, with market capitalization ofaround USD 120 Billion, has attracted FDI worth more than USD 10billion since march 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, a vote ofconfidence in the company. The company is also reportedly preparingto list overseas Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., a holding company whichaims to emerge as a top e-commerce and payments operator in India’svast consumer market. There are many more examples of India creatingnew growth nodes, and enhancing capacities to have its economy emergestronger once the current severe downturn due to the pandemic hasbeen managed.

Sixth, several states such as Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, andTamil Nadu have set up task forces to attract investments, bothdomestic and foreign, to the state. It is reported that German footwearbrand, Von Wellx, has decided to move its factory operations from Chinato Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The company has more than 100 millioncustomers in more than 80 countries.

Infrastructure – the Second Pillar

The INR 20 trillion packages contain many initiatives forinfrastructure projects. These include, up-gradation of industrialinfrastructure; substantive liberation of coal and other minerals anddeveloping global competitiveness in Aircraft Maintenance, Repair, andoverhaul subsectors etc. Road construction & infrastructuredevelopment along India’s border areas is also continuing. India’scurrent infrastructure projects are continuing. This is illustrated bythe completion on May 26, 2020, of a tunnel, which is a part of INR120 Billion “Chardham” project, below the densely populated Chambatown on Rishikesh-Dharasu road (NH 94), in Uttarakhand State bythe Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Under the ‘’Char Dham’’ project,BRO is constructing 250 km of National Highway leading to holy shrinesof Gangotri and Badrinath. In addition to the INR 20 trillion packages,and ongoing infrastructure projects, a Task Force on NationalInfrastructure Pipeline (NIP) submitted its report at end December2019. Full report may be accessed at The Task Force projects the total


project capital expenditure in infrastructure sectors in India duringthe fiscals 2020-2025 is about INR 102 trillion. During fiscals 2020 to2025, sectors such as energy (24 per cent), urban (16 per cent), railways(13%) and roads (19 per cent) are to account for more than two-thirdsof the projected infrastructure investments in India. Out of the totalexpected capital expenditure, projects worth INR 43 trillion (42 percent) are under implementation, projects worth INR 33 trillion (32 percent) are in conceptualization stage, and rest are under development.The Centre and State are each expected to contribute 39 per ent tototal infrastructure investment, and the private sector, both domesticand foreign 22 per cent. The states have an equal weight, responsibility,and self-interest in having NIP succeed. Those states which preparebetter will gain a competitive advantage, and location of economicactivities and extent of value-addition in each state will be impactedaccordingly. The Task Force has given recommendations on changesrequired to several key sectoral policies and other reform initiatives tobe initiated by Central and State Governments. A monitoringmechanism has also been suggested to ensure timely implementation.While the pandemic will have some impact on the timing of NIPprojections, the larger structure and patterns are not likely to besignificantly affected as over two-fifths of the projects are already underimplementation. India is exploring setting up a World Solar Bank (WSB)that may require a total equity capital of USD 10 billion and a paid-upcapital of USD two billion. However, India may become the lead memberby taking a 30 per cent stake in WSB, requiring a USD three billioncommitment. ISA strategic goal includes mobilizing USD one trillionand reducing the cost of finance and technology.

Technology-Driven Arrangements the Third Pillar

The technology-driven arrangements are involving ruralgovernance, economic and social management, and in delivery of publicand private services, including transferring cash benefits of governmentprogrammes directly into a bank accounts. India ranks among the topfive start-up ecosystems in the world. Over 30,000 start-ups have beenrecognized by the Central government. They are in consumer-orientedbusiness and in business to business segments, and are becomingtechnologically more sophisticated. They are also attracting FDI.Encouragingly, they are focusing on issues faced by the consumersand businesses in the Indian context. As an example, India’s 12 millionKirana stores, usually family-owned small selling groceries and basicdaily needs, and which control the overwhelming proportion of India’sestimated USD 700 billion the consumer market, are increasingly usingtechnology in procuring, inventory control, and payment mechanisms.During this pandemic, the government has securely, and without

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leakages through the political operators directly transferred variousbenefits through a combination of JAM (a combination of PradhanMantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Aadhaar card and mobile phonetechnology), foundations of which were vastly strengthened sinceentrusted with governance responsibilities since 2014. As on May 13,2020, there were 386 million Jan Dhan Bank accounts, with balancesof INR 1359 Billion. This was among the largest and successfultechnology-enabled financial inclusion programmes in the world.Another ambitious, technology-driven initiative of the government wasone-nation-one ration card scheme. Under this scheme, any citizenresiding in the country will be able to get cheaper food grains from thepublic distribution system shops (PDS shops) throughout the country.As of May 2020, 17 states were covered. It was anticipated that by endof 2020, all states will be covered. The idea was to subsidized food oflow-income households, including an estimated 15 to 20 million migrantworkers. Technology is actually being applied to power trading. Real-time trading on power bourses is likely to be adopted in the near future.This fits well with India s plans to achieve 450 gigawatt (GW) ofrenewable energy capacity by 2030.

Favourable Demographic Trends – The Forth Pillar

India is projected to exhibit a relatively young population profilefor the next several decades as compared to many countries. Morethan two-fifths of India’s population in 2020 of 1380 million is under21 years of age. Even by 2030, its population over 65 years will be 8.5per cent of the total; and the median age will be 31.2 years. Therelatively young population provides a potential avenue for highergrowth, provided this demographic divided is tapped throughappropriate growth enabling and skills enhancement which ismarketable. Two examples of India widening employable skills trainingto wider sections of the population and taking a more positive view ofits human resources are provided below. The Yogi Adityanathgovernment in Uttar Pradesh has completed the task of skill mappingof 14.75 lakh migrant workers who have returned to the state duringthe lockdown. The government is preparing to provide employmentbased on the skills of all migrant workers which will also ensure theirsocial security. The Yogi government will now provide the workforceto other states only on the condition that the states guarantee socialsecurity for them. The Yogi Adityanath government is signing a MoUwith industry bodies to generate nearly one million jobs for the 9.5returning migrants. For the above initiatives to be sustained, UttarPradesh needs to become more attractive for its workers, and theirskill levels need to be enhanced to compensate for resulting higherlabour costs. Blending Central government’s social security initiatives


with that of the state will better utilize fiscal and other resources. Thesecond example is that the Tribal Affairs Ministry has entered into apartnership with Face book to train five thousand persons to obtaintraining from experts in different disciplines and fields. The pandemichas provided opportunities to vastly expand on-line learning and togreatly diversify options for individuals of all ages to acquire new skills.This is welcome development for improving human skills. There areindications that India’s education system is likely to be revamped tobe consistent with the ABA and with BVFL, with greater emphasis onlivelihood skills, and with Indian civilization values.

Demand or Purchasing Power of India-the Fifth Pillar

In national income accounts, demand is generated by consumptionexpenditure, investments, government expenditure on final goods andservices, and by net exports. While consumption accounts for three-fifths of India’s GDP, it should be recognized that investmentexpenditure by private and public sectors, usually characterized assupply side, also generate demand, and help sustain businesses andhouseholds. ABA and BVFL strategic ideas can be expected to lead tolarger multiplier effects of demand generated, benefiting the localeconomy.

In 2019, India’s nominal GDP was USD 2.9 trillion, and in PPP(Purchasing Power Parity) terms, it was USD 10.5 trillion. Indiabecame the fifth-largest economy in 2019. While some analysts arepessimistic about India’s growth prospects in 2020 and 2021, IMF inits April 2020 World Economic Outlook projects India’s real GDP growthat 1.9 per cent, highest among major economies.

India’s solid fundamentals, and the initiatives are taken by thepolicymakers explained in this column, makes a strong case that fromsecond half of 2021, India’s growth trajectory will begin to attain theposition of being among one of the fastest-growing major economies inthe world. India needs to better leverage its large demand to becomeengaged with the world on better terms, including in accessingtechnology, and having greater access for its services.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan & Be Vocal For Local (ABA-BVFL) an Initiative for Self Reliant

The focal point of the concept is to make the nation self-reliantwith more focus on local unemployed youth and local manufacturersor service providers. This may strengthen the economy, improve thestandard of living and most importantly improve the trade deficit and

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the exchequer balance of the country. Making the country self-reliantin all spheres from manufacturing to supplying is the ultimate goal. Itmay help the country to reduce its dependence on imports and mayalso give a boost to exports. Therefore, the fall in imports will helpreduce the trade deficit and will eventually lead to a trade surplus.And also may ensure that the country will able to sustain and tackleany black swan event that may emerge in future. As per Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, the fiscal stimulus will help revive every sphere of theeconomy- from demand, supply to manufacturing. The package willfocus on land, labour, liquidity and laws, so as to achieve self-reliance.The relief measures were announced in tranches by the FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman. Let us take a look at the completebreak-up of the package launched to make India “self-reliant” amidPost COVID-19 times.

Tranche 1:These set of relief measures are worth Rs 5,94,550crore and includes funding as well as loan guarantees for MSMEs,NBFCs/HFCs, contractors, real estate and salaried workers.

Tranche 2: These set of relief measures are worth Rs 3,10,000crore with a focus on migrant workers, small farmers, street vendorsand the poor. Implement the principle of Economics with MacroEconomics Made Easy Course by Market Experts

Tranche 3: These sets of relief measures are worth Rs 1,50,000crore. The core focus of these measures is on the agriculture and alliedsectors like dairy, animal husbandry, and fisheries so as to strengthenthe overall farm sector.

Tranche 4: These sets of measures are worth Rs 48,100 crorewith a focus on 8 critical sectors which are Coal, Minerals, DefenceProduction, Airspace management, Social Infrastructure Projects,Power distribution companies, Space sectors, and Atomic Energy.

In her second trance of COVID - 19 relief package announcements,Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the steps taken bythe government for migrants and farmers during the national lockdown,including free ration for stranded workers. Acknowledging thesignificance of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during the pandemic, she said it hadhelped provide jobs to returning workers in rural areas and advisedStates to continue the process in the monsoon season as well. Migrantworkers, the urban poor and small farmers are the targettedbeneficiaries of these announcements.


Benefits and Shortcomings of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan(ABA): A Review

The research observed that in order to regain the strength of theeconomy in the global market with self-reliance, the Indian governmentlaunched the, Atma-nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan . Below are its possiblebenefits:

Liquidity infusion and direct cash transfers into the accountsof laborers and daily-wage earners are helpful for their survivalduring the lockdown;

Long-term modifications in critical sectors keep them globallycompetitive and attractive;

Substantial growth in the e-commerce industry;

Boost in the supply chain logistics industry;

Lots of employment opportunities soon in the country.

Reduction in scarcity for medical supplies and food grains.

However, the package failed to boost the confidence and bringoptimism among the corporates, as the focus of the package is more onindirect benefits than on direct benefits. The government should havedesigned packages in such a way that would provide cash support ratherthan relying more on loans. The collateral-free or unsecured loansannounced for MSMEs may lead to higher default in post COVIDsituation by the companies and lead to higher Non-Performing Assets(NPAs).

The banking sectors, especially the PSU, are already reelingunder the bad loan issues and with unsecured loans, may see furtherdeterioration in their asset quality. Higher default rates will alsoincrease the cost burden of the government, as it may have to providecushion to the ailing banks (www.thehindu.com). Moreover, the totalgovernment expenditure that will be incurred through the package isonly 1 per cent of India’s GDP growth. As such these measures willnot be adequate enough to boost the demand sentiment in the economy.

It is an all-time fact that one of the most severely affected sectionsof the population due to the extent the lockdown has been migrantworkers, especially those in urban areas across the country. The recentPeriodic Labour Force Survey conducted in 2017 by the National Sample

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Survey Office of the Ministry of Statistics and ProgrammeImplementation had estimated that in India there were around1,49,53,750 urban workers who had vulnerable jobs. These workersincluded helpers in a household enterprise and who did not receive aregular salary and casual labourers who received daily wages; besidesthis, the number considers only those in bottom 50 per cent of thewealth pyramid in 2017-18, based on their monthly per capitaexpenditure. This number extended to an estimated 2.5 crores peoplewho had salaried jobs but did not receive any paid leave and otherbenefits immediately after the lockdown. Migrant workers numberedmore than 81 lakh people among this segment. Now the questions are:1) how the “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan” or economic package ofself-reliant India will act as oxygen for the survivability of the millionsof jobless migrants? 2) without any proper training or skill developmenthow much they will succeed in small scale industries in their hometown? 3) from the government side is there any proper planning/strategies for reverse migration at the post COVID situation 4) do thestates or the central governments have the right data about the migrantworkers/labourers? and 5) Whether the states are not under the centralpolitical party will get the same that central government declared forthe migrant labourers? 5) And finally why the millions of people ofIndia - men or women are still considered them as unskilled or semi-skilled labourers even after 74th year of independence.

Conclusion

The people of India have by now come to expect the announcementof a new programme from the government at periodic intervals. Thusin the past seven years, we have had Make in India, “Swachch BharatAbhiyaan” and Demonetization or Less Cash and now an “AtmanirbharBharat” means self-reliant. Actually, self-reliant was the stated goal ofeconomic policy in India in the early decades after 1947. The architectof this plan was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose record as PrimeMinister – especially economic – intellectuals associated with thisgovernment have trashed relentlessly. Now, over half a century afterhis death (1964), the fulcrum of his vision for India has beenceremoniously brought back with nary an acknowledgement. Practicallyspeaking “will it be possible where the millions of people temporarilyor permanently migrating every day from one place to another foremployment and their survivability”? Scholars can take this researchforward and come out with proper recommendations for the planners.

However, both the facts of economic development across the wholeworld and advances in the methodology of empirical research wouldhelp us make sense of the economic policies of early independent India.


History suggests that India did not pursue a strategy entirely out ofline with what was adopted elsewhere. More importantly, we haveevidence that growth here first accelerated in the early 1960s. Thiscould only have been a consequence of the policies adopted in the earlierdecade, notably the “Nehru-Mahalanobis” strategy in capital goodsproduction via newly formed public enterprises. This evidence cannotbe jettisoned easily. It is based on a statistical procedure that is freefrom the predilections of the practitioner. It conclusively disposes ofthe stance that nothing really changed in India after 1947, a view onceheld at both ends of the political spectrum but now the preserve of theright-wing. The same procedure also reveals that remarkable growthin India is still waiting to find out the right ways or sustainabledevelopment strategies.

However, while we know that the 1950s were literally path-breaking, we also know that the performance of India’s economy hasfor far too long left much to be desired. This is apparent when we lookto our east, where all countries have surged ahead of us, raisingnational income and spreading it widely. We all know that the 1950swere literally path-breaking, we also know that the performance ofIndia’s economy has for far too long left much to be desired. This isapparent when we look to our east, where all countries have surgedahead of us, raising national income and spreading it widely. We alsoknow exactly how this has been achieved. Even as they had accumulatedphysical capital, our East Asian counterparts developed their humanresources as much as possible. The question staring at us is why theIndian society with a highly educated elite in power failed to observethis as development played out over decades.

The answer may be found in the work of many Indian philosopherslike Rabindranath, Mahatma Gandhi’s and many others. As with allof Gandhi’s ideas, “Gram Swaraj” should be understood and viewedwithin the context of the twin beacons of Truth and Nonviolence.However, put simply, the fundamental concept of Gram Swaraj is thatevery village should be its own republic, “independent of its neighboursfor its own vital wants and yet interdependent for many others inwhich dependence is necessary,” according M. K. Gandhi, 1942.

This means each village in India should be basically self-reliant,making provisions for all necessities of life - food, clothing, clean water,sanitation, housing, education and so on, including governance andself-defence, and all socially useful amenities required by a community.Mahatma Gandhi was not advocating cultural chauvinism butintellectual autonomy when choosing what is best for India. After somany years COVID-19 once again gave us a wake-up call for making

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Atmanirbhar Bharat as well as Be Vocal for Local. Therefore, a self-reliant India will “integrate not isolate”. Recently, in her inauguralspeech Ms. Gita Gopinath, chief economist, International MonetaryFund (IMF) rightly mentioned that India should keep spending onRural Jobs high for another year to check a rise in inequality duringthe pandemic and have a medium-term fiscal consolidation strategy tokeep borrowing costs low when the economy emerges from the currentcrisis. Probably that is why a total of Rs. 1.12 lakh crore had beenearmarked for MGNREGS alone during 20-21. Finance Minister, Smt.Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs. 73,000 crores for FY 21-2022; 11,500crores higher than the last budget even as it is Rs. 42,000 crores lessthan the revised estimate this year. Let us hope and wait for a realAtmanirbhar Bharat in future rather not just a mere political sloganonly.

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Ambedkar, B. R. (1936). Annihilation of caste. Mumbai: Samyak Prakashan.Ahamed, S. ( 2020).Counting and accounting for those on the long walk home. In

Ranabir Samaddar (Ed.), Borders of an Epidemic: Covid-19 and MigrantWorkers (pp. 123-132). Kolkata: Calcutta Research Group.

Bebel, A. (1904). Women under socialism. Translated by Daniel DeLeon. EspriosClassics.

Belagere, C. (2020, May 31). Karnataka fares better than high prevalence statesin COVID 19 fight. The New Indian Express.

Government of India ( 2011).Census of India: Migration.Hindustan Times( 2021, January 30). Keep rural jobs spending high, says Gita

Gopinath.Mazumdar, I., Neetha, N., & Agnihotri, I. (2013). Migration and gender in India.

Economic and Political Weekly 48(10), 54-64.NDTV (2020, May 30). PM Modi’s Letter to Nation talks of Migrant Workers

Suffering. NDTV.Oxfam. (2019). Public good or private wealth: The India story. Oxfam Inequality

Report.Ravenstein, E. G. (1985). The laws of migration. Journal of Royal Statistic a

Society, 48(2), 167-227.Samaddar, R. (Ed.) (2020). Borders of an epidemic: Covid-19 and migrant workers.

Kolkata: Calcutta Research Group.Times of India (2020, March 24). Mahabharata battle won in 18 days, war against

corona virus will take 21 Days: PM Modi. Times of India.https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/. Accessed on May 29, 2020.https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=19104 accessed onMay 25,2020.


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