Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
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YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region LIVING WITH MULTIPLE VULNERABILITIES: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE URBAN POOR IN THE MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION FINAL REPORT AUGUST 2020 This is a follow up to the interim report released in June 2020. A YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region SUGGESTED CITATION: Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action. (2020). Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Final Report. Mumbai: India. W: www.yuvaindia.org E: [email protected] @officialyuva @officialyuva yuvaindia84 @yuvaonline PUBLISHED BY: Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) YUVA Centre, Sector 7, Plot 23, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai – 410210 (India) August 2020 DESIGNED BY: Tabish Shakil D YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iv List of Abbreviations v List of Tables vi List of Figures vii Executive Summary viii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The Pandemic and India’s Urban Poor 1 1.2 YUVA’s Approach 1 1.3 Quick Overview of Intervention Impact 2 2 ABOUT THIS REPORT 3 2.1 Rationale for Area Selection 3 2.2 Objectives 5 2.3 Methodology 6 2.3.1 Quantitative Assessment 6 2.3.2 Qualitative Assessment 8 3 DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS 10 3.1 Vulnerable Population Groups 10 3.2 Livelihood Categories 11 3.3 Housing Situation 14 4 COMPROMISED ACCESS TO RELIEF AND ENTITLEMENTS 15 4.1 Defining Disasters and Relief 15 4.2 Relief Announced by the Central and State Government 16 4.3 Access to Food: Reach of the Public Distribution System 18 4.3.1 Challenges and Concerns in Accessing the Public Distribution System 19 4.3.2 Children's Nutrition in the Absence of the ICDS and Mid-Day Meal Scheme 23 4.3.3 Dependence on Elected Representatives, Civil Society and Community 24 4.3.4 Living with Hunger and Inadequate Nutrition 25 4.4 Access to Cooking Fuel: Reach of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 26 4.4.1 Growing Need for Affordable Cooking Fuel 27 4.5 Access to Social Security and Relief Provisions among Informal Workers 27 4.5.1 Social Security for Construction Workers 27 4.5.1.1 Pre-existing Vulnerabilities and Current Availability of Work 28 4.5.1.2 Registration in the BOCW Welfare Board 29 4.5.1.3 Access to One-time Cash Transfers 30 4.5.2 Social Security for Domestic Workers 32 i YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region 4.5.2.1 Sudden Loss of Work 32 4.5.2.2 Need for Social Security vis-à-vis Registration in the MDWWB 33 4.5.3 Social Security for Street Vendors 34 4.5.3.1 A Changed Ecosystem for Vending 34 4.5.3.2 Accessibility to PM SVANidhi Scheme (Working Capital Loans for Street Vendors) 35 4.5.4 Social Security for Sanitation Workers 36 4.5.4.1 Uncertainty about Wages During the Lockdown 36 4.5.4.2 Loss of Work among Waste Recyclers 37 4.5.4.3 Exacerbated Health Risks 37 4.5.4.4 The Need for Immediate Relief 37 4.6 Access to Financial Security 38 4.6.1 Loss of Income and Growing Financial Insecurities 38 4.6.2 Access to Direct Cash Transfers through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana 40 4.6.3 Enrollment in Self Help Groups (SHGs) 42 5 MIGRATION 44 Restarting Work During Partial Lockdowns 48 6 INTERSECTING VULNERABILITIES 51 6.1 Living In the City: Inadequate Habitats 51 6.1.1 Housing Insecurities 51 6.1.1.1 Forced Evictions 51 6.1.1.2 Shelters for the Homeless 51 6.1.1.3 Challenges Faced by Renters 52 6.1.1.4 Eviction of Renters 52 6.1.1.5 Link between Entitlements and Housing 52 6.1.1.6 Rise of Violence 53 6.1.1.7 Climate Impact 53 6.1.2 Access to Basic Services 54 6.1.2.1 Water 54 6.1.2.2 Sanitation 55 6.1.2.3 Electricity 56 6.1.2.4 Healthcare 57 6.2 Gendered Lives 59 6.2.1 Women-headed Households 59 6.2.2 Transgender Persons 62 6.3 Children 64 7 DISCUSSION 66 7.1 Access to the Public Distribution System 66 7.2 Access to Direct Cash Transfers 68 7.3 Access to Social Security for Workers 69 7.4 Enabling Adequate Habitats 70 7.5 Ensuring Inclusive Rehabilitation of Vulnerable Groups 72 ii YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region 8 RECOMMENDATIONS 74 1 Recommendations to Ensure Existing Relief Reaches Those in Need 74 1.1 Ensure Access to Food-related Relief and Entitlements 74 1.2 Increase Direct Cash Transfers to Ensure People Have Purchasing Power for Basic Necessities 76 1.3 Ensure Fast-track Registration of Construction Workers to Enable Direct Cash Transfers 76 1.4 Enable Quick Access to PM SVANidhi 77 1.5 NULM Should Revisit Membership Criteria of Self-Help Groups 77 1.6 Expand Social Security Announced for Sanitation Workers 77 2 Recommendations to Support Migrant Workers across the Country 78 2.1 Ensure Legal and Social Protection 78 2.2 Utilise the Census Database of Migrant Workers 78 2.3 Enable Health Security for Migrant Workers 78 3 Recommendations for Livelihood and Social Security of Workers in Mahrashtra 78 3.1 Create an Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme 78 3.2 Provide Interest-Free Loans for Self-Employed Workers 78 3.3 Reinstate Social Security for Domestic Workers 79 3.4 Ensure Functioning of the Maharashtra Transgender Welfare Board 79 4 Recommendations to Support Children in the MMR During the Lockdown 79 5 Recommendations to Build Resilient Habitats in the MMR 80 References 82 ANNEXURE I. Rapid Needs Assessment Analysis 86 ANNEXURE II. YUVA’s Relief Distribution Map and Summary of Additional Efforts Taken 88 ANNEXURE III. Areas Covered 90 ANNEXURE IV - VII. Survey Forms 93 ANNEXURE VIII. Interview Guidelines for Qualitative Situation Assessment 97 ANNEXURE IX. Credits 101 iii YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The deepening vulnerabilities of the urban poor Our teams and volunteers have continued to put during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a wider their own health at risk to carry out relief initiatives recognition of pre-existing inequalities. This study and identify ways to alleviate the rising distress by Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) is a experienced by urban poor communities. We salute small step towards centering the voices of those who their courage and unwavering commitment, which has continue to face these inequalities. helped us do so much in these challenging times. First and foremost, we thank all those people who In an attempt to create bottom-up knowledge that participated in this study and gave us their time in accurately captures the needs of communities during critical situations and at the peak of a life-altering this time of crisis, various teams from YUVA led the pandemic. Their responses, insights, experiences initial qualitative and quantitative data collection and demands have enabled us to learn from the processes of this study. We thank all our teams for communities we work with and thereby advocate for their commitment to remotely learn new skills and policies that respond to their lived realities. shape the foundational knowledge of this study. Their collaborative engagement enabled us to We express our deepest gratitude to all our partners successfully deliver on what we set out to achieve. and individual donors who provided us with support, The complete list of contributors to the report is financial and non-financial, to carry out our relief given in Annexure IX. initiatives. We are also immensely grateful to other civil society organisations and government officials for collaborating with us and supporting our efforts. iv YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AAY Antodaya Anna Yojana NGO Non Governmental Organisation AHRC Affordable Rental Housing Complex NMMC Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation APL Above Poverty Line NPH Non-Priority Household BMC Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation NSKFDC National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation BOCW-WB Building and Other Construction NULM National Urban Livelihoods Mission Workers Welfare Board BPL Below Poverty Line ONOR One Nation One Ration BSBDA Basic Saving Bank Deposit Account OSH Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions CIDCO City and Industrial Development PDS Public Distribution System Corporation DBT Direct Benefit Transfer PHH Priority Household FPS Fair Price Shop PMAY Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana GDP Gross Domestic Product PMGKAY Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana GR Government Resolution PMJDY Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana ICDS Integrated Child Development PM Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atma Services SVANidhi Nirbhar Nidhi IMA Indian Medical Association PMUY Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas PWD Person with Disability MCGM Municipal Corporation of Greater R&R Rehabilitation and Resettlement Mumbai MDWWB Maharashtra Domestic Workers SHG Self-help Group Welfare Board MHADA Maharashtra Housing and Area SRA Slum Rehabilitation Authority Development Authority MMC Mumbai Mobile Creches TPDS Targeted Public Distribution System MMR Mumbai Metropolitan Region TVC Town Vending Committee MMRDA Mumbai Metropolitan Region ULB Urban Local Body Development Authority NCSK National Commission for Safai YUVA Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action Karamcharis NFSA National Food Security Act v YUVA Living with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Impact of COVID-19 on the Urban Poor in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region LIST OF TABLES Table Details Page No.