Lockdown hits rickshaw pullers hard in Delhi

The 21-day nationwide lockdown in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases has started affecting the rickshaw pullers in the national capital.

Rickshaw puller Ved Prakash, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, said: "How do we feed our children now? Almost everything has been closed. Sometimes we also receive police's lathis."

Another Rickshaw puller said: "We are facing a lot of problems as we don't have anything to eat. Police punctured our rickshaw tyres. How are we supposed to live in such situations? It will be better if we die."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.

The Delhi government has announced several measures to help the people in need including Rs 5,000 for each construction worker under the Construction Workers Welfare Board Fund and the implementation of Ayushman Bharat--Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).