MANGALURU: Over 2 lakh labourers employed by beedi industries in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are in distress, as the lockdown has snatched away their livelihood. Over 90 per cent of them, who are beedi rollers, work from home and get paid once a fortnight or a month, after they return the finished goods. But since March 22, the beedi rollers have not received any raw materials and even the rolled beedis are piled up in their houses, as they have not been picked up by the industries.
Beedi rollers are supplied raw materials at their doorsteps, enough to last them for 2-3 days. They get fresh raw materials only after they return the finished goods. A beedi roller earns Rs 100-300 a day, the wages being Rs 100 for 500 beedis. However, disruption in the manufacture of beedis has not affected beedi smokers. Sources said that there is enough stock in the market, which is sufficient for another one month. Petty shops being shut in view of the lockdown has also brought down demand to some extent.
Mohammed Rafi, president, Karnataka Karavali Beedi Workers’ Union, feels that beedi rollers should be considered under special category, as they work from home and their risk of contracting COVID-19 is almost nil. “The lockdown has hit them hard and many of them are finding it difficult to manage even two square meals a day. Beedi rollers come under below poverty line (BPL) category and over 90 per cent of them are women, and are the sole breadwinners of their families,” he said. Ithappa and Bhavya, a couple from Kalladka who earn their living by rolling beedis and who have no other source of income, said the ration they get from fair price shops is not sufficient to keep them going.
“Who will pay the house rent and look after other expenses of people like us. The government should have given serious thought to this before imposing the lockdown,” they said. Karnataka Karavali Beedi Workers’ Union has urged the government to either exempt the beedi industry from the lockdown or direct beedi companies to pay minimum wages fixed by the government to the labourers during the lockdown period. Also, it has urged them to disburse the annual bonus given to beedi workers this month, instead of in August-September. “The bonus of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 will come in handy to poor people during the crisis,” said Rafi.