Many daily wagers in Delhi have started selling vegetables to help their families financially. Unable to earn money due to coronavirus pandemic, these daily wagers have been forced to sell vegetables as it is allowed during lockdown.
55 year-old Shabnam is the sole earner of her family. Originally from Bihar but living in Delhi since 15 years, she used to sell tea and eggs near Jeevan Anmol Hospital, Mayur Vihar, East Delhi. After lockdown, she started selling vegetables in the local market. According to her- “Life has changed a lot after lockdown. Earlier I used to sell tea and snacks but now I sell vegetables as there is no other alternative. I hardly earn between Rs 300 to Rs 350 per day but something is better than nothing.”
Story of Kishore is similar to that of Shabnam, a plumber by profession but now selling vegetables for the survival of his family. “As there was no other option, I started this work. There are four in my family and for their survival, I will keep on selling vegetables till everything gets fine. We are following every rule, from wearing masks to maintaining social distancing while selling vegetables,” he said.
There are many more like Shabnam and Kishore who have changed their profession and started selling vegetables. Vending vegetables have become the only source of income for these daily wagers as this helped them eke out a living.
