Hunger stalks India as lockdowns force hundreds of millions out of work, into poverty

Some 529 million Indians were living on less than US$5 a day in October, a university study found – an increase of 230 million from March 2020

Activists said the desperation for food among families with two wage earners, in particular, was ‘unprecedented’ as life savings are depleted

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A volunteer for Khana Chahiye, or Want Food collective, distributes free food packs to those in need in Mumbai, India, earlier this month. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:00pm, 14 Jul 2021Updated: 7:00pm, 14 Jul 2021

Chanchal Devi’s three children haven’t tasted milk for almost a year. The 35-year-old and her husband could no longer afford it, among other staples, after they both first lost work when India’s capital New Delhi went into lockdown in March last year.

Their distress deepened after this April following a surge in Covid-19 infections. They are now borrowing money to buy food and must watch their school-aged children eat less, often going to bed on empty stomachs.

“I can’t sleep at nights,” said Chanchal from her home in Lal Gumbad Basti, a neighbourhood of migrant workers about 20 minutes away from the nation’s parliament. “I’m so tired of worrying about arranging the next meal.”

Chanchal Devi and her husband have had to borrow money to feed their three school-aged children amid the pandemic. Photo: Bloomberg

Families like Chanchal’s – two wage earners with some savings, living in rented accommodation – are among legions of Indians who saw their economic toehold ripped away in lockdowns over the last 12 months. More than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May alone at the height of a devastating wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums, according to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy.

All of that is leading to an increase in hunger, particularly in urban areas, in a nation that already accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s malnourished people. While few statistics are available, migrants and workers at food distribution centres in major Indian cities say they cannot remember seeing lines this long of people yearning for something to eat.