Impact of Covid-19 on Migrant Construction Workers

As the second wave of coronavirus has hit India harder than ever, what the future holds remains uncertain. The second largest employment in India is done in the construction industry. With such a scale, the impact of Novel COVID-19 infection was estimated to be equally massive when it first struck the country in February 2020. This article deals with the real-life struggles faced by migrant construction workers due to the lack of infrastructural and economic support by the government. It aims to uncover the reality of failed government policies and provide survey data by various organizations and a self-analysis of the data. It further explains the case of Rakesh Malhotra v Government of National Capital Territory of India and Others which helped streamline the assistance provided to the migrant construction workers who are unregistered and unaware of their own rights under Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. The article also explains the current scenario of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and how the center is assisting migrant construction workers with the second wave of coronavirus that has hit our country and whether it is doing a better job than the first wave.