'Not Getting Work Here'

Q: When did you return to the village and how did you come?

Beneficiary: I came back here in the first week of June via Shramik Train.

Q: Were you screened at the railway station or by the Gram Panchayat representative? Were you transferred to an institutional quarantine facility or asked to self-isolate at home?

Beneficiary: I was not screened at the railway station but I stayed in an institutional quarantine facility for 14 days before moving back home.

Q: Have you been registered for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)? Have you begun work and received any remuneration?

Beneficiary: No, I have not been registered under MGNREGS, and so I am not getting any work here.

Q: What are your means for earning a livelihood now that you are back in your village?

Beneficiary: I am farming my land, but it is not enough to feed the whole family.

This interview was conducted in Gaya, Bihar in Hindi on 15 July 2020, and has been translated.