Relief and rehabilitation.

Byline: Faisal Bari

'MY brother and I are engineers. We used to work in Lahore. When the lockdown started we moved back to our house in the village. This was to reduce expenses as well. My father has a small business. Well, he had one, I am not sure if he will be able to resume activities after the lockdown. We have a severe cash flow crunch. My brother was laid off when the lockdown started. I got my salary for the last two months, but I am not sure how long this will this last. I have been working remotely but my employer has not been allowed to open up business despite the easing. So, I am not sure how long he will be able to pay us. My salary has not been enough to sustain our expenses. Initially, we dipped into our savings and then we have been borrowing from friends and relatives. Not sure what the next few months will be like.'

Javed is an engineer. He has a good job. Before the lockdown he was thinking of working for a couple of years, saving some money for himself and for the family and then going abroad for a graduate degree. Now he is not even sure if he will have a job next month, and his family is in dire need of cash. Javed's household is not eligible for most of the social protection programmes that the government is offering. And they do not want that help either. Their needs are different. Javed and his brother have education and skills. They need jobs. And they need capital to restart their father's business. Without access to reasonably priced capital, restarting the business will not be possible. And without jobs and the business, they will not be able to pay back loans or ensure a steady income for the family.

How do we make policies - and we will need innovative policies - to address vulnerability?

'I have six children. Three are grown up and were working till before the lockdown. Three are still school-going. We live in a two-room house. I work as a driver. The nine of us, including my father who lives with us, have been cooped up in this place for more than two months now. My eldest is a motorcycle mechanic, second one is a barber and my daughter worked in a beauty salon. Though the lockdown has been eased up, my children and I have not been called back to work. All three of my children were told, at the start of the lockdown, that they would not be paid for the lockdown period as businesses were closed for that period. My employer has been paying me my regular salary and a bit more. This has kept our kitchen going.'

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