ABSTRACT
This paper aims at presenting the findings of the study on the position of street vendors in the District Srinagar, Kashmir, in India, including both men and women, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The purpose of the study was to explore various challenges street vendors faced during the COVID-19 lockdown and to highlight the vulnerability of this particular group of informal workers. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews with the use of a questionnaire, on a sample of 150 street vendors from the District Srinagar. In addition, a certain number of in-depth interviews with selected respondents from the sample was done. The study findings show that the majority of the respondents have lost their job during the peak period of COVID-19, i.e. from March to July 2020. The findings have also revealed that the lockdown directly impacted the socio-economic conditions of the workers which made it very difficult for them to survive during the peak of COVID-19. Additionally, workers were struggling very hard in order to fulfill the basic daily needs of their families. Therefore, it is suggested that the government of India should provide financial support to street vendors in order to compensate for the loss caused due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
ABSTRACT
Roughly 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide (80 per cent living in developing countries) are being marginalized by factors related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For the first time in a long time, huge numbers of people are feeling segregated from ‘normal life’ and are being quarantined in homes and hospitals. Due to apparently endless and restrictive lockdown rules, patterns of social isolation and detachment appear far from temporary. The present paper aims to highlight the issues and challenges faced by persons with disabilities and their caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic. © 2020 Sociological Demography Press.