COVID-19 pandemic and the poor in the urban spaces of India with special reference to Mumbai
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
ISSN: 2040-7149
Article publication date: 26 March 2021
Issue publication date: 7 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The lives of the poor in the urban spaces of India are filled with hardships. They live amidst poverty and struggle to survive within other problems such as insecure jobs, lack of proper housing, unsanitary conditions and low levels of health immunity. This vulnerable section of the population has been rendered furthermore vulnerable by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were never imagined before. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability of the poor in the urban settings of India with special reference to Mumbai in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology adopted in the study is based on the analysis of secondary data and content analysis of the existing literature. In addition to this, the study also makes use of certain narratives of the urban poor in Mumbai that have been captured by various articles, reports and blogs.
Findings
The findings of the study reveal how the urban poor of India, with special reference to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the worst sufferers of the socioeconomic crisis caused by the social distancing and lockdown measures imposed for combating the pandemic.
Originality/value
The study tries to explore the reality of the urban poor's right to the city in the wake of the pandemic.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration: The article presents a picture of the emerging scenario under the pandemic and lockdown in India mostly from March to July, 2020. Since, then a lot of other associated changes have taken place which does not form a part of the subject matter of this article.
Citation
Bhattacharjee, S. and Sattar, S. (2022), "COVID-19 pandemic and the poor in the urban spaces of India with special reference to Mumbai", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 64-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2020-0196
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited