SUICIDES = SYSTEMIC EXPLOITATIONS
“To no one will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice”
RIGHT TO LIVELIHOOD
Human Dignity is the essence of all the rights and liberties created by the constitution makers. Livelihood includes basic shelter, food, education, occupation and medical care. In pavement Dwellers case the court opined right to livelihood is borne out of the right to life as no person can live without the means of living i.e means of livelihood. The Right to life is undoubtedly the most fundamental of all rights. All other rights add quality to that life in question and depend on the pre-existence of life itself for their operation. Right to live with human dignity enshrined in Article 21 derives its life breath from the Directives Principles of State Policy and particularly clauses {e} & {f} of Article 39 and Article 41 and 42 and it must include protection of the health and strength of workers, women and of the tender age of children against abuse, opportunities and facilities for children to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity, educational facilities just and humane condition of work and maternity relief.
SYSTEMIC EXPLOITATION
The weeks after India celebrated Independence Day in 2022 six sanitation workers attempted to commit suicide outside the Municipality office in Ahmedabad where three consumed poison while the others doused themselves with petrol and set themselves on fire. They were protesting against not being made permanent employees. India currently witnessing an increase in the number of suicides among contract workers. Gujarat (the state where our P.M belongs to) tops number one among the other Indian states, the share of informal unorganized workers is much higher in Gujarat compared to the states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana. The daily wage rate as of 2023 in India is Kerala (837), Tamil Nadu (478), Jammu and Kashmir (519), Odisha (313), Gujarat (295), Bihar (328). Workers in India especially in all categories are paid well below minimum wages. They can rarely afford full meals, comfortable accommodation. Education, Health care, Basic livelihood itself is a nightmare for many Indians in this 2023. Workers have been categorized into many forms such as temporary, casual, trainee, permanent etc. often in many industries a trainee performs like a professional worker yet the wage rate is very low. India do have the National Employment Enhancement Mission where workers are paid wages well below the minimum in exchange for a certificate this amounts to free labor for the company.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AFTER COVID
During the time of Covid in India the middle-class people are the ones suffered the most there has been a severe crisis of employment opportunities in local labor markets. Getting a work or daily wages are not possible for workers. Surat an employment hotspot for migrant workers from all over the country faced chronic supply side problems and that indicated a sharp fall in their work and living standards in post lockdown as a result limited employment opportunities were guaranteed. Wage determination in a given labor market is dependent on numerous factors for e.g., nature of work, identity, the average experience of the worker in a vocation, home state of the worker and more. During the pandemic struck catastrophe was forced to become more and more “nirbhar” on debt entrapping, ultra-exploitative, asset owing class of workers and informal money lenders which made the worker condition worse over time despite the Government efforts to ensure food security during the months of the lockdown and thereafter most workers were unable to avail the benefits of Government schemes.
SOLUTIONS
After covid, the year 2022 people of India are taking their regular jobs in a slow phase the economic recovery is happening in a positive scale. Indeed, the hidden fact is many contract workers in various states are committing suicides due to exploitation of labor. Indian labor market is very vast and organizing them according to the need is something challengeable but our Government ensuring all the efforts to make it right, despite all of this there is an exploitation, the surprising thing is there is no protest or outrage from the middle class people, in many states the wage structure is changed, the livelihood is under question people are witnessing it still there is no outrage this collective silence of the people are no way going to help the society or the future generation. We have guaranteed rights under Constitution if we feel our rights are taken away kindly file cases in courts to ensure your rights, only fewer public petitions are filed in the courts for deprivation of rights as many as public petitions filed, we the people can change the exploitation scenario.
“Social justice is a device to ensure life to be meaningful and livable with human dignity requires the state to provide to workmen facilities and opportunities to reach at least minimum Standard of Health, Economic Security and Civilized living. The health and strength of worker was an important facet of right to life” Our Judiciary system ensured this statement in many cases. So the people of India break this collective silence and voice out your rights we have greater judiciary system.