Bengaluru, May 29: Seven out of ten (72 per cent) workers in Karnataka reported having lost their employment during the COVID-19-induced lockdown, according to findings of a survey by Azim Premji University, in collaboration with ten civil society organisations.
The university said in a statement it conducted "a detailed" phone survey of 5,000 workers across 12 states in the country, to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on employment, livelihoods, and access to government relief schemes.
The survey covered self-employed, casual, and regular wage and salaried workers and it released the findings for Karnataka on Thursday.
Seventy-six per cent of urban workers and 66 per cent of rural workers lost their employment, the survey findings said.
For non-agricultural self-employed workers and wage workers, who were still employed, average weekly earnings fell by two-third.
More than four in ten salaried workers (44 per cent) saw either a reduction in their salary or received no salary during the lockdown.
Six out of ten households reported that they did not have enough money to buy even a weeks worth of essential items, according to the survey.
Eight out ten households reported a reduction in food intake, while less than three in ten vulnerable households (27 per cent) in urban Karnataka received any form of cash transfer from the government, it said.
In summary, the disruption in the Karnatakas economy and labour markets is enormous. Livelihoods have been devastated at unprecedented levels during the lockdown.
The recovery from this could be slow and very painful, the statement said.
As a response to the findings of this survey, the team which has conducted the survey suggested a universalisation of the PDS to expand its reach and implementation of expanded rations for at least the next six months.
It suggested cash transfers equal to at least Rs.7000 per month for two months, and proactive steps like expansion of MGNREGA, introduction of urban employment guarantee, and investment in universal basic services, among others.
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Dear All, First up all we thanks our government to take initiative action to success the plan. We all kasaragod people should proud to hear now, we have best medical college hospital in our native. Whenever their is an emergency, our ambulance runs to Mangalore in fast drive, where driver keep his life in death mode to save patient valuable life... We respect our Ambulance team with salute... Why we need to keep Ambulance & patient life for more time. We will get best efforts from our government.... If we have Teacher minister with us, we should not afraid of any body. She will look best for us, to get best meditation doctors for endosulfan, heart , kidney, etc. We can say to all we also has best medical college for all of citizen internal and external. Thanks Kerala State Government to support Kasaragod. Especially all kasaragod Gulf and other District Trust including me ,we should have best hand for any kind of help to promote for our Kasaragod Medical Collage. In the God we will success. Whenever an gulf comes for vacation, should have visit, if we can do some or share some more support. I love kasaragod, we want him fully happiness, I need to enjoy Eid, onam, Christmas with my brother and sister
In order to promote govt hospital and to ensure less expensive consultation, govt should improve hospital/medical college facilities and political leaders should go to govt hospitals/ medical colleges for consultation
Never.. That is GOVT medical college. So doctors wont get much benefit compared to PRIVATE MEDICAL COLLEGE
Doctors too. Many are from Kerala. They will go this MC
If it came out good then, some private hospitals in mangaluru may lose many patients.
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