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Crippling uncertainty hits the self-employed
Sunil Fernando: ”Since curfew was announced last Friday we have had no work”. Pix by Champika Fernando
First there was silence. Then a deep sigh.
“I have no words to speak,” he said. “That is the simplest way to explain our situation”.
Lalith Dharmasekera, 57, leads the All Island Three-Wheeler Drivers’ Union. An estimated 850,000 people are living off the trade, he said. Apart from those aligned with companies approved for food delivery during curfew, the others are in dire straits.
It isn’t just three-wheeler operators who are struggling. The self-employed across Sri Lanka, from tailors and beauticians to construction workers and roadside vendors, are all suffering from a loss of income. And the uncertainty is crippling.
Indication that the curfew will extend into some weeks has left men like Mr Dharmasekera desperate. For twenty years, he said, he has been urging policymakers to introduce a regulatory framework and a structure for the industry, as there is for private buses. The introduction of meters was a step towards this but it didn’t progress much further.
“If there was a system to work with, the Government could have used it for deliveries,” he explained. “It would have helped a lot more people but they are reliant only on one company. And that’s because they had a system in place.”
Now, thousands of families have three-wheelers at home and no earnings from them. “The public need our services,” Mr Dharmasekera said. “I would think that around 100,000 of us can be deployed for deliveries provided we take proper precautions in consultation with health authorities. The Government says the private sector will deliver provisions. So let us help because we need the income.”
Mr Dharmasekera observed that, at present, there was a sense of chaos in service provision. And he fears that families—who are now living on reserves–will soon find that, even if there is food to buy, they will have no money.
The Government has announced a six-month debt moratorium on the leasing rentals of all three-wheelers, school vans, lorries, small goods transport vehicles and buses, and related assets such as motor bikes and taxies operated by the self-employed and owners. But there have been no targeted measures beyond that.
P Thilakamoney, 57, is a street-sweeper who lives in Kirulapone. He is single and says the ongoing crisis has hit people like him hard. He returns to an empty boarding and has nobody to provide him with meals. He can’t cook for himself because his vision is poor. And the eatery he had been buying from is now closed.
Someone now gives Thilakamoney lunch but he scrapes by on a pittance. The loneliness adds to the gloom. He feels better out in the street than at his place of residence. It gives him a sense of purpose and he also needs the income. Any leave he takes is deducted from his monthly pay.
Many of the self-employed at lower strata have little or no savings. And, just as much as the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic has hit big business, it has devastated the lives of people at these levels.
Sunil Fernando runs a bicycle shop in Kirulapone. “Since curfew was announced last Friday, we have had no work,” he said. His partner, a 56-year-old father-of-two named P Gunasekera, has the same lament. Unlike those of better means, they cannot hoard weeks’ worth of provisions. They fret about what would happen when what they did buy run out. But amidst their concerns, Mr Fernando praised the military, nurses and doctors for their sacrifice and welcome the Government’s efforts in keeping down the numbers of those infected with the virus. “We are grateful,” he said.
More than the immediate impact of curfews and access to food, what concerned most people was coping if the crisis stretched out for much longer. While the first few days were disorganised, services—particularly deliveries—became more streamlined towards the end of this week.
Low-income families are targeted for benefits through the Samurdhi lists. There are, however, concerns about those who fall through the cracks because it has long been known that these numbers do not reflect reality.
“Around 50 percent of Colombo’s resident population live in slums,” said Nirmani Liyanage, a researcher, urban planner and social activist who has adopted a lead role with several other volunteers and organisations—including Sarvodaya—to provide food rations to those that most need them.
And there are also large numbers who are from out of town. A considerable percentage of families in Wanathamulla, for instance, are not from Colombo. They are rural poor who have temporarily migrated to Colombo for work.
As of this week, dry food rations came through two streams: through the Central Government, Divisional secretariats and Grama Niladharis who have their lists of low-income families; and through the Mayors and Municipal or Urban and Pradeshiya Sabha Councillors and Ministers.
“Yet, everyone doesn’t get covered,” Ms Liyanage said. “A lot of people who are not registered as low income families or as voters in Colombo district may get overlooked easily.”
Other field workers were also concerned that, when politicians were involved, there could be preferential treatment to their respective vote bases and supporters. This was a common complaint. Again, those from outside Colombo—whose franchise is out of town—are affected.
Wanathamulla in Colombo is heavily populated with daily wage earners. “Most households here are poor,” said Pushpa Galhena, 55, head of the Community Development Society (CDS) in Seevalipura, Wanathamulla. “Many women go out for domestic work while men drive three-wheelers or do other casual labour.”
Pushpa has leased out land from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and runs a vehicle park at Maitland Place, Colombo 7. She has no income now but must pay Rs 100,000 a month to the Council. With her income, she employees five others. They, too, are homebound.
Some families might get by for another week, maybe two, but beyond that was in question. “Income is the main issue,” Pushpa said. With stocks scarce, even in areas like Wanathamulla, vendors have started adding extra rupees to their prices. Coconut goes for between Rs 100 and 120 and bread is Rs 80. There are no vegetables to be found.
“Drug addicts sometimes walk around selling greens, or mangoes or other things, and people rush out and buy,” Pushpa said. “Otherwise, there is still no fresh produce.”
Urban centres with large populations are hit hard. Some volunteer groups and non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) have mobilised quickly around Colombo and the suburbs to provide dry rations in collaboration with local authorities. But they, too, are facing challenges.
On Friday, after the Government—incensed by large numbers of people and vehicles on the road despite an ongoing curfew—curtly reminded the public of their obligations. Only authorised delivery vehicles are allowed on the road, the President’s Media Division said. And the police and tri-forces were instructed to strictly implement curfew regulations.
This caused the authorities to crack down on supermarkets and vehicles, even those of social workers trying to reach needy communities. One volunteer said their van was stopped several times on Friday and, despite a letter authorising movement, questioned. They were told only police passes would be accepted hereafter.
While access to supplies had already been a challenge, shops suddenly became more fearful as they did not want to get into trouble if they provided the goods. Some organisations said that, in the worst possible scenario, they will distribute money to organisations to purchase their provisions when Sathosa, the State retail arm, eventually delivers.
“People really need to be more socially responsible and not walk around with old prescriptions in their pockets during a curfew because in the end it affects the work of those who really need to be out on the stress, supporting needy families,” one volunteer said, requesting anonymity.
Some street sweepers are finding it difficult to find their daily meals
| Jaffna: Situation under control as long as no panic buying Government Agents (Gas) in the North have been requested to pass on any surplus agricultural produce in their districts to the rest of the country to alleviate vegetable shortages. But areas like Jaffna, which has a heavier population than most, is likely to hold on to any supplies that are not in danger of rotting, Kanapathipillai Mahesan, its GA said. The Jaffna district has been identified as high risk after a Covid-19 case was identified there. Essential items in the district are being supplied through the Chamber of Commerce, Cargills Food City, the cooperatives and Sathosa. Unlike other parts of the country, the North has sprawling network of coops that can be mobilised but, again, supplies are an issue. “At the moment, there are sufficient food stuffs,” said Mr Mahesan. “We have also coordinated necessary curfew passes to bring provisions to Jaffna. Our Chamber of Commerce says they have two to three weeks’ worth of stock. Cargills has around four days and Sathosa, nearly one week.” The situation can be managed provided there is no panic buying. The Covid-19 Task Force requires a daily report from the districts about their surpluses and shortages. “So far, we are keeping local production—vegetables, rice and other items—within the district,” Mr Mahesan said. “I have directed our Agriculture Department to look at whether there are any excess vegetables that we can share.” Some farmers are facing marketing issues for their harvested tomatoes, chilies and bananas. These are also now being looked into but there are practical issues with transport and sales. As in other parts of the country, people are being supported through Samurdhi lists while donors and other contributors are helping the poorest of the poor with cooked meals and dry rations. Many are daily wage labourers and there is no work. The coops have instructions to provide food baskets from Sathosa to a large number of Jaffna district residents, an independent volunteer said. “But the issue is which giving the required resources, the rations, to the coops,” he pointed out. “Overnight, the Government reduce the price of a kilo of dhal from Rs 130 to Rs 65 and can of tinned fish from Rs 230 to Rs 100. When you intervene in the market like that, you had also better make sure vendors have enough stocks to meet demand.” Midweek, Sathosa had only sugar available for the food basket, Mr Mahesan confirmed. There was no tinned fish or dhal. “We are trying now to buy from private traders but there are price variations,” he said. “Transports costs are added on.” The food basket was expected to have minimum of five to six items but the original list changed because of availability issues. As in other districts, there are worries over meeting demand if the curfew extends very much longer.
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| No one is asking whether we are eating or drinking’: A cry from Kebetigollawa, YakawewaOf all the villages in Kebetigollawa, Yakawewa is one of the worst off. In 2006, the Tamil Tigers exploded two claymore mines targeting a packed passenger bus. Among the 48 civilians killed and 80 injured were residents of Yakawewa.From the date of that incident till after the war ended in 2009, the families of this distant agricultural settlement lived in displacement camps. When they resettled in their homesteads, they received no State assistance despite applying for it, said Abeypalage Kusuma, 49, a village leader and mother-of-five.Life has always been a struggle economically. This year, the drought has all but decimated their paddy crop. “I am at my paddy field now with my husband, wondering what to do,” she said, via mobile phone. “If not for this drought, we can harvest in a few weeks.”Covid-19 has now made things grimmer. Agricultural activity is allowed but there is no income because of the drought. And there is no transport to get to the town which, Kusuma said, was a 40-rupee distance by bus. The village originally had 30 families which has grown to 135. A large number of women work in garment factories in Kebetigollewa (where there are two) and in other areas. They have returned and are not sure of their next salaries. Some men also held jobs in Colombo which they have had to give up. “The daily paid agricultural workers are in trouble because there is no water and the paddy is dying,” Kusuma said. “We are affected from so many sides.” Households are now sharing food with each other. “There are two single women who live alone,” Kusuma narrated. “When they come in the evenings, I give them rice and tea. I run a small grocery. But it has no provisions now and I have no way of going to town to get more.” Her husband works with the Civil Defence Force. She also cares for her aged mother and a differently-abled sister. And her brother has come home after losing his job owing to Covid-19. She cooked rice, long beans and dried fish for breakfast. And while it was nearly three when the Sunday Times telephoned her, she hadn’t eaten lunch because she was too busy inspecting the damage to her paddy field. “I took a Rs 100,000 loan and Rs 30,000 of it went towards good seed paddy,” Kusuma said. “We grew four acres and if the rains had come, we would have had a good harvest.” “Up to now, nobody has come our way with rations,” she continued. “Nobody from the Government has asked whether we are eating or drinking or what problems we have.” Isuru Sohan is the Anuradhapura Project Coordinator for an NGO called Good Neighbours. He was sticking out the curfew in his home town of Trincomalee. He made phone calls to contacts in rural villages and found that many are able to manage because they have harvested their paddy and had sufficient provisions for the moment. But they were concerned about the future. Everything, they said, depended on how long the curfew would continue to disrupt their daily lives. “There are villages I work in where people would regularly eat just two meals a day,” Isuru said. “There are families where the husband and wife have found other spouses and left their children for grandparents to take care of. There is nobody to feed them. There are also single-parent households.” Daily-paid work in such areas could mean anything from harvesting and planting paddy to picking ‘tibbatu’ and making bricks. In many parts of the country, Covid-19 is in danger of exacerbating poverty. Urgent need to streamline Samurdhilists now more glaring than ever Governments have also long accepted that Samurdhi lists need streamlining; a thorough spring clean to ensure that the truly vulnerable benefit. An empirical World Bank review of the programme concluded—like many other studies—that “it transfers a large portion of its resources to the non-poor.” And another World Bank review concluded that, “Sri Lanka’s main safety net programme, Samurdhi suffers from poor targeting and benefit adequacy.” Its targeting performance has even “slightly worsened” in recent years. In 2002, forty-two percent of all cash transfers reached the bottom quintile while 70 percent reached the bottom 40 percent. By 2012-2013, this had fallen to 39 percent and 65 percent, respectively. The selection of Samurdhi beneficiaries was universally reported to be biased according to political affiliation, says ‘People’s Perceptions of Poverty’, a qualitative survey conducted in 2000. The primary abuse appears to be the inclusion of large numbers of ineligible households as a reward for political loyalty to the governing party. Field workers say much of this still holds true. It is widely known that people are bused in from around Sri Lanka for political rallies on the basis of Samurdhi lists and that a majority participate for fear of losing the benefit. A recent special report by the National Audit Office (NAO) observed that a census was conducted between 2015 and 2017 to revamp the beneficiary list using criteria such as education, health, economic level, assets and the nature of the homes. The survey cost Rs 80mn. Priority lists were drawn up but were not implemented. The NAO recommended the use of “precise criteria” in delivering Samurdhi benefits. When identifying families that no longer qualified and selecting those newly entitled to payments, accurate data must be used. And a data system should be updated so that annual changes in the economic levels of Samurdhi beneficiaries is included. None of these changes have been carried out. And crises such as Covid-19—which affects the entire population, unlike most other natural disasters—demonstrate why accurate data and targeted action is critical. The country has limited resources. They need to reach the right people. Many Samurdhi beneficiaries complain of unfair conditions By Pradeep Kumara Dharmaratne and Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk The Government initiative to grant a Rs 10,000 interest free loan for Samurdhi beneficiaries who are in difficulties is beset with problems with accusations made that tens of thousands have been deprived of the facility due to unfair conditions. Many Samurdhi beneficiaries complained that a condition has been laid down requiring them to have Rs 8000 or more left in their Samurdhi bank accounts in order qualify for the loan. This has directly hit people who went on the Samurdhi list in recent years, particularly around 100,000 new beneficiaries added during the term of the Yahapalana Government. There were angry scenes in some parts of the country on Friday when people turned up at Samurdhi banks to claim the loan only to be turned away by Samurdhi officers and bank employees who said they did not have enough savings to be eligible. Of the monthly allowances Samurdhi beneficiaries are entitled to (based on individual circumstances), a certain percentage is deducted for various purposes while a share goes into his or her Samurdhi savings account. To have a balance of Rs 8,000 in the account, therefore, a beneficiary would have had to be a member for several years. In some areas, people who came hoping to obtain the loan even found that the Samurdhi bank branches were closed. There was an issue with many people being deprived of the loan, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, former State Minister and Matara district Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP. “This is an interest-free loan,” he said. “The relevant circular says that beneficiaries should have at least Rs 8,000 in their accounts as security for them to be able to pay back this loan at some point.” “It is true that this has created an obstacle for newer beneficiaries to obtain the loan,” he agreed. “We are discussing the matter right now and looking at how we can provide the loan or some other relief for them.” This interest-free loan is an attempt to hoodwink the people into believing the Government is providing benefits, said Kabir Hashim, Former Minister and Kegalle district United National Party (UNP) MP. “In reality, it is politically victimisation of some of the poorest segments of society.” It was unfortunate, he said, that the Government was playing politics at a time of national crisis. The Government has taken measures to provide dry ration packs and other essentials to low-income families that don’t qualify for Samurdhi. But there are accusations that SLPP local government members have forced themselves into this process by insisting that priority is given to those in “lists” prepared by them. In one incident on Friday, a local SLPP member of the Aranayake Pradeshiya Sabha is alleged to have pressured Grama Niladharis at three Grama Seva Divisions–Moragammana, Elangapitiya and Hathgampala–to name low-income families eligible for the ration packs based on a list he provided. Area residents alleged that the list mostly contained names of this member’s supporters and of those who had voted for him at the last local Government elections. No politician should be allowed to influence officials on who should get the ration packs, Mr Abeywardena acknowledged. “The process is handled by the Grama Niladharis who then give the lists to the Divisional Secretary,” he said. “We will look into any complaints that local politicians have influenced the procedure.” |