Need to enumerate, identify and register migrant workers: Sandeep Chachra

We could have planned our response to the pandemic better, says Sandeep Chachra, executive director of ActionAid Association

Sandeep Chachra, executive director of ActionAid Association, in an email interview with Uddalok Bhattacharya, speaks of the lockdown, the tasks ahead and the changes in the foreign contribution law. Edited excerpts:

Do you think the lockdown that followed the arrival of the pandemic was done in haste? The announcement of Shramik Special trains almost 45 days after that contributed to the situation’s deterioration?
 
The pandemic merely exposed the pre-existing inequalities and precariousness of millions of people. The Shramik Special trains were an essential need. If announced sooner, they would have eased a lot of stress for migrant workers. The