May 10: Government authorities have imposed prohibitory order in 63 districts including the capital Kathmandu in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. Daily wage labourers and workers of the informal sector have been hard hit by the prohibitory order as they do not have regular source of income and the government has banned all other activities except emergency work. This has raised the prospect of starvation among the families who depend on daily work to make a living.

The affected group of people say that they are worried about starvation as the government has not announced any relief packages for such workers and small enterprises.

Ratna Shrestha of Kavre, who runs a fancy dress shop in Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, has not been able to operate his business since the last ten days. He says he is now struggling to meet his daily expenses. He is worried about managing the rent of his stall if the restrictions get prolonged.

Rajesh Shrestha who runs a mobile and TV shop in New Road is equally worried. He says that he is in great stress for not being able to open his shop. He is also worried about how to pay the rent if he cannot run his business.

Man Bahadur Pariyar also shares a similar story. Originally from Sindhupalchowk, Pariyar has been operating a tailoring shop in New Baneshwar. He is also struggling to make ends meet due to the prohibitory order.

“The rent of the shutter is exorbitant. I started this tailoring shop one and a half year ago by getting some loan. I am still not able to pay the loan. On top of it, the restrictions have brought by work to a standstill. It is getting difficult to meet the daily expenses,” he said.

Workers of the informal sector are deeply worried as they are unable to work due to the prohibitory order imposed by the government.

The labourers recalled relief from government and NGOs during last year’s lockdown. However, they are concerned this time because neither the government or any other organisations have announced relief packages for them. They have urged the government as well as NGOs to make arrangements for relief distribution in order to prevent  starvation.

As per the latest data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are 1.5 million daily wage labourers in Nepal. Similarly, 2.6 million people are employed in the formal sector while 4.4 million people work in the informal sector.

According to a study conducted by the National Planning Commission, around 1.7 million people lost their jobs in the domestic market during the lockdown last year. The figure stands at 2.1 million considering the number of Nepali migrant workers who lost their jobs. Despite collecting the information, the government has failed to effectively address their problem, say labour experts.

Ganesh Gurung, a labour expert, says that the government has extended the prohibitory order but has not paid any attention towards the welfare of the workers. He says that the government must announce short-term and long-term programmes to avoid starvation among the people who are also fighting against the deadly disease.