With the outbreak of Coronavirus in India, many people who are working as daily wage laborers in cities, towns and villages lost their livelihood. Most of these families are poor with no savings and provisions that could have helped them at this time of crisis. As a result, many of them are forced to live in their homes, arrange food anyhow or just starve. This pandemic is not only a health threat but also a socio-economic threat that has the potential to destroy numerous lives of those who are marginalized. 

The need of the hour is to create a provision for those marginalized population who lost their wages to this pandemic outbreak. This will be possible if the Government of India can provide Universal Basic Income to those poor jobless people whose lives got adversely affected due to coronavirus.  We are calling on the Government of India to introduce an immediate liveable income guarantee for everyone living in India – without conditions on migration status, savings or any other limiting factors. This must guarantee every adult in this country an income equivalent to the minimum wage. This Universal Basic Income should be provided until the situation becomes normal and they can return to work.