New Delhi: It is not that coronavirus and the lockdown implemented to prevent its spread affects a person physically. Coronavirus infects and at times is a killer… is now a well-established fact. But then there are far reaching effects of the disease both mentally and financially.
Due to the pandemic, the world over has seen job losses and people have been rendered income-less. Odisha with over 22,000 positive cases is no exception to the rule. A recent survey conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research, in collaboration with the Nossal Institute for Public Health at the University of Melbourne on the ‘Impact of Coronavirus on Households in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh’ has thrown up some startling facts.
People from the two districts of Bargarh and Dhenkanal took part in the survey. Here are some salient features of the survey on Odisha.
The survey reveals that 36 per cent of Odisha households do not foresee any improvement in their financial conditions in the near future. It also states that 53 per cent of those who were interviewed felt that it could take six or more months for the job situation and income to improve. However, ‘love thy neighbour’ seems to be the motto in Odisha. The survey states that 81% of the people in the districts of Dhenkanal and Bargarh were worried about the well-being of their neighbours.
The two districts of Odisha were selected as part of a larger NCAER-Nossal study on ‘Health Seeking Behaviour in Four Indian States’ where respiratory illnesses are high. The principal investigator of the survey PK Ghosh informed that the households were examined in two phases – before lockdown and during the lockdown.
“No major variations in occupation structure were observed between Odisha before the lockdown. However, during the lockdown in Odisha, the impact was felt primarily by households whose members were engaged in casual labour. About 27 per cent of the households in Odisha had no income during the lockdown,” Ghosh has been quoted as saying by the ‘Hindustan Times’.
The survey revealed that a large majority of households – 81 per cent in Odisha – had to face income curtailment. The reduction of income happened to families belonging to the urban and rural segments equally. The survey also mentions that the salaried and the agricultural workers faced the least amount of pinch, although it may have been substantial to them. Income for farmers decreased due to reduced demand for farm goods from bulk consumers. With hotels and restaurants remaining closed during lockdown, the demand for farm goods fell drastically.
To cope with the loss of income, 59.3 per cent of the households in Odisha had to fall back on savings or sale of assets. The survey said that after lockdown norms were eased 75 per cent of the households in Odisha that were completely without all income during the lockdown managed to start earning something.