Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus. On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears. You have learnt many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate the sufferings of migrants in similar situations? (UPSC IAS Mains 2020 General Studies Paper – 4)
Ethical issues that arose in the current migrant crisis:
While monitoring the District Disaster Relief Force, I witnessed certain ethical issues in fulfilling the responsibility of managing disasters.
- Conscience vs. administrative constraints: While monitoring disaster management authority, I had limited resources to be spent. This posed the challenges of caring well for elderly migrants especially those suffering from any disease. Assisting elder family members with physical care, emotional support, managing crises, maintaining connections with others, tested the conscience & decision–making of professionals.
- Selfish vs. selfless: Selfish means lacking consideration for other people and preoccupation with one’s own pleasure, profit or welfare, while selfless means having little or no concern for oneself, and helping society as a whole. Migrants in their barefoot long journeys witnessed both kinds of people in the society. While some helped the migrants on their way to home in a selfless approach, many others hardly showed any interest and took care of their family only.
Meaning of an ethical care giving state:
- The ethics of care giving involves helping the needy without expecting for any reward in return. ‘Ethical care giving state’ is a government or nation which ensures implementation of such policies that provide social, economic, and medical facilities for free to the needy. To provide the same, besides constructing necessary infrastructure, also needs both professionals and volunteers providing caregiving.
Assistance that the civil society can render to mitigate the sufferings of migrants in similar situations
- Civil society can construct temporary health centers, rehabilitation centers, avail doctors & nurses, and other care giving professionals, to take care of migrants in their way. Also, civil society can provide direct financial assistance to migrants, providing them with essentials such food & water and necessary medicines, arranging transportation facilities to their destination. Civil societies and many individuals took responsibility and were highly successful in helping migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
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