COVID devastates lives of people in Mumbai; Survey reveals 17% job loss during pandemic

According to a survey report released on the impact of COVID-19 in Mumbai stated that 17 per cent of the total respondents said they lost their jobs during the pandemic. The survey was conducted jointly by NGO Praja Foundation and Hansa Research in December 2020.

The report of Praja Foundation was published on Thursday, January 28. The family survey was conducted to accurately analyze the impact of the epidemic and lockdown on the socio-political and economic situation of the city.

“The drastic changes in the socio-political and economic milieu of Mumbai caused by the pandemic and lockdown drove the intent for conducting a household survey to better analyse its impacts. This report presents the findings of the household survey commissioned by Praja to Hansa Research, in some of the key areas of livelihood, health, education, housing and transport”, said Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation.

“Mumbai which is known for its in-migration from across the country mainly for livelihood, saw a huge outmigration during the pandemic. Of the 23 per cent respondents who reported that they had migrated out of Mumbai during the lockdown, 57 per cent went due to loss of job," said Mehta.

“Livelihood and employment across sectors have been worst hit. Two out of every three people said the layoffs had an adverse effect on the job. While 36 per cent people had leave without pay, 28 per cent had their salaries reduced. Twenty-five per cent of the people worked unpaid and 13 per cent worked overtime or their workload increased,” said Milind Mhaske, director of Praja.

According to the report, around 69 per cent of the total respondents said they faced difficulties in paying their house rent, while 60 per cent of respondents said their Rent contract wasn't eased during the lockdown.

Almost 2 of 3 respondents (63 per cent of total sample survey) who worked from home, preferred to do so in the future as well. Demand for use of pedestrian spaces for mobility in Mumbai has increased post-pandemic, the report stated.

Total 39 per cent of the 2,087 respondents received free treatment for COVID-19. Of the 61 per cent who spent money on COVID-19 treatment majority (50 per cent) spent less than INR 10,000. Nearly 48 per cent respondents said that they managed the treatment cost with help from family, relatives or friends, 27 per cent sourced it from their regular income, while 23 per cent sourced it from insurance.