Munawar Zaman
Press TV, New Delhi As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hold the entire world in its grip, millions of people in India are also battling the economic impacts of lockdown in addition to the virus itself.

India’s poor have always been at the forefront of any sort of natural calamity or disaster. Experts say at least 100 million Indians will be pushed below the poverty lines due to the pandemic, getting closer to the risks of existential crisis.

Based on official data, India has more than 550,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with over 16,000 deaths, and the figures are rising every day.

Studies show that the sudden announcement of lockdown in India back in March has left nearly 100,000 people without jobs.

These people are mainly daily wage laborers, small shop owners, migrants, rickshaw pullers and street vendors.

Millions of poor Indians and migrants have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictive measures.

Without having any source of income, these groups need to exhaust the little savings they have or sell their belongings for survival.  Amid the rising cases of coronavirus across India and reports of increasing unemployment rates, Experts say the government should provide direct support and cash relief to the communities in need to help them survive these difficult days.