IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITION OF INFORMAL WORKERS – A STUDY AMONG INFORMAL WORKERS IN THE DISTRICT OF DIBRUGARH

The unprecedented outbreak of Covid-19 has crippled nations across the globe. It has posed a major threat to the lives and livelihood of millions of people especially in developing countries like India. The restrictions and closures as a response to contain the spread of the disease have resulted in disruption in economic activities. In the entire process, the informal sector has to encounter a severe crisis. With the loss of income earning sources, the future and survival of informal workers has become largely uncertain. Apart from helplessness, there emerges a tendency to switch to some other profession just to have some temporary earnings to finance their livelihood. Exhaustion of savings, dependence on borrowings and lack of credibility to return have left the informal workers financially anxious. Although some initiatives have been introduced by the Government, they are not as adequate as compared to the misfortune of these workers. Hence, designing some specific strategies to strengthen the socio-economic state of informal workers is a necessity in the current scenario. This paper attempts to study the recent dilemma of the informal labourers, based on responses received from some workers in this arena.