Daily wage earners in Okhaldhunga are finding it difficult to manage two meals a day due to the prohibitory order imposed by the government to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has become difficult for workers to meet two meals a day after not getting work due to the restriction order.
Thir Bahadur Lamichhane, a resident of Soludhudhkunda Municipality-6, Solukhumbu, said that he was unable to manage two meals a day due to the lockdown. He said that most of the organisations had distributed food and other relief items to the wage earners during the restriction order last year but no one had provided relief this time around.
Similarly, Him Khulal of Soludhudhkund Municipality complained that it was difficult to manage two meals due to lack of daily work. “We are the people who work and eat every day. All the sectors are closed due to the COVID-19.
We have not been able to find work. This is the problem of how to manage meals when there is no work,” he said. Even the local government has not taken any initiative to provide relief to the wage earners, said Tenzing Sherpa. He said that he was forced to go hungry as he could not work in the lockdown.
He said that even after leaving the district headquarters and returning to the village, his children’s education will be affected. Daily wage earners like him said that it is difficult for them to manage two meals a day as they are not able to work due to the lockdown.
Daily wage earners are more concerned about hunger than the fear of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Siddhicharan Municipality is working for the prevention of infection rather than relief, said Ichchha Kumari Gurung, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality. Gurung said that they would also take a relief package and help them in case of any problem for the daily wage earners.
She said that the restriction to daily wage earners in the municipality has caused a lot of problems and initiatives are being taken to distribute relief to them. She said that the problem will probably be resolved soon.
The wage earners here said that they have a lot of problems managing their household expenses due to the lockdown. Binod KC, Ward Chairman of Siddhicharan Municipality-11, said that there was no problem for the workers due to the restriction order and if so, the municipality would work for relief.
He said that discussions are underway to solve the problems faced by the working class and initiatives will be taken to provide necessary relief.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
