Almost two years into the Covid-19 crisis, the existing inequalities in the society have deepened. According to a news report published on Monday, at least 75 per cent of 1,600 surveyed households of marginalised communities experienced additional financial hardship caused by the novel coronavirus. The expected recovery from financial hardship could take as many as 18 months and the families may be able to repay their loans in about three and a half years, says a research report. Economists informed a conference that four out of five households have experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. People living in the coastal belt, in slums, persons with disability, and micro, small and medium enterprises suffered more than others.
Findings of the study on “Bangladesh emerging from the pandemic: coping experience and policy choice”, jointly organised by the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs Bangladesh and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) were shared in the capital on Sunday. The study also found that seven out 10 households suffered either job loss or temporary shutdown of business in the early phase of the pandemic. The rejoining rate is 97 per cent, and they are mostly involved in low-paid informal sector services. As coping strategies, 20 per cent of the households had to cut down food and other expenses and borrowed money. Moreover, 10.5 per cent of the households had to sell assets besides cutting down on expenses and borrowing money. Marginalised households cutting down on food-related expenses may negatively affect hunger and nutrition status, added the report.
According to another CPD presentation, many “new poor” were excluded from the government’s cash support of Tk 2,500 each to 5 million households and gratuitous relief that included food assistance and other cash support. These people are referred to as the new poor because they lost their earnings, jobs, and livelihood opportunities during the pandemic. We want continuation of the government’s essential food commodities distribution through the Open Market Sales (OMS) programme, especially in the neighbourhoods of the marginalised communities. However, the government’s social safety net programmes or development initiatives are seen as a way to make wealth for a section of politically opportunist groups. This must stop.
