'It will be Difficult to Rejoin Studies Now'

Q: When did you return to the village?

Beneficiary: I came back in the month of May.

Q: Are you a Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiary and were you able to get the prescribed free ration during the lockdown period?

Beneficiary: No, even after a lot of efforts, I have not been able to get my name added under PDS. I have not received any free ration. However, I did get Rs. 1,500 in my bank account apparently as assistance money.

Q: What are your means of earning a livelihood now that you are back? Are you planning to register under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?

Beneficiary: My mother is registered under the MGNREGS, so she is going to work. My father is a daily wage earner, and he is not getting work. I am going back to Jaipur tomorrow; work has started in factories there. I work in a factory that manufactures wires.

I have suffered a lot of loss in the last two months. I am also studying simultaneously. I started working in the factory with the hope of saving some money and join coaching, but the work stopped just after 2 months. Now, it will be difficult to go back to studies.

This interview was conducted with a potential beneficiary in Churu, Rajasthan in Hindi on 15 July 2020, and has been translated.