That the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns have been difficult for the poor, especially the urban poor, should not come as a surprise to anyone. According to an estimate from the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), the countrywide shutdown last year caused an 80 percent drop in income of the labouring class in urban areas. A survey conducted by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) suggested that the economic shock induced by the pandemic has pushed a whopping 14.75 percent of the population into poverty in one year, with the urban poor (a large proportion of whom are informal workers) being hit the hardest.

Despite these grim circumstances and the fact that 85.1 percent of the 6.08 crore labourers in Bangladesh work in the informal sector (according to BBS data from 2017), it is disappointing to see how little government support is being given to them during the current lockdown. According to a report in this daily, an estimated 1.35 crore informal workers lost their jobs during last year's lockdowns. Of them, 50 lakh belong to the transport sector, 16 lakh are in construction, and another 12 lakh work in hotels, restaurants and bakeries. Yet, workers in these same informal industries are, once again, facing the dire consequences of having no social/legal protections and job benefits during the lockdowns. 

It is baffling why, despite having faced almost the exact scenario last year, no plans were made to ensure that informal workers are not left in the lurch again this year. Although the government announced 23 stimulus packages involving Tk 1,24,053 crore for those affected by the pandemic, the majority of these schemes serve the formal sector. While some informal workers will receive the cash support being given to the poorest, the recipients are too few to have an impact on a sector large enough to contribute around 50 percent of the economy.

One of the major reasons for informal workers being left out of government support schemes is the lack of a government database or official figures on the informal sector. The authorities must step up to plug this data gap. Additionally, immediate steps must be taken to include them in ongoing relief programmes and further cash support must be extended. In yesterday's report in The Daily Star, a number of trade union representatives spoke of their demands continuously being ignored by those in charge. Experts have also spoken about how little legal protection and health support informal workers are given in their workplaces. While immediate cash support can help ease their woes, the government must focus on providing workers' rights and security in the informal sector in the long run. These workers are the backbone of the urban economy, and so far, the treatment they have received during the pandemic is nothing short of unjust.