Jobs lost, middle-class Indians line up for rations and 'worry about meals'

More than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May alone; legions of them see their economic toehold ripped away in lockdowns.

Chanchal Devi’s three children haven’t tasted milk for almost a year.
 

The staple was among items the 35-year-old and her husband could no longer afford after they both first lost work when India’s capital New Delhi went into lockdown in March last year. Their distress deepened after this April due to a surge in Covid-19 infections. They’re now borrowing money to buy food and must watch their school-aged kids eat less, often going to bed on empty stomachs.

“I can’t sleep at nights,” said Chanchal from her home in Lal Gumbad Basti, a neighborhood of migrant workers about 20 minutes