New Delhi: A National People’s Conclave, held at Jawahar Bhawan on August 21–22 under the banner “Lest We Forget: Five Years of the Pandemic”, brought together workers, women, educators, activists and artists to bear witness to the continuing crises unleashed by Covid-19 and the state’s response. The two-day gathering was less a conference and more a collective act of remembrance. 

The central question — “What has changed post-pandemic?”  – framed two days of testimonies and reflections across six thematic areas: workers’ rights, natural resource communities, public health, education, gender justice, and cultural expression. Testimonies showed that rather than a return to "normalcy", the pandemic became a turning point that accelerated privatisation, widened inequalities and entrenched authoritarian governance.

Workers: Instability as the new normal

The first session focused on India’s workers, migrants, domestic workers, street vendors, waste pickers and gig economy employees. Testimonies recalled mass displacement, the haunting sight of migrant workers walking hundreds of kilometres during lockdown, and the instability that has followed.

Om Prakash from the SEHB Karamchari Union described how contractualisation has eroded worker identity: “Many no longer know if they are even considered ‘workers’ anymore.” Hawkers’ representatives spoke of evictions and the “loan traps” of the PM Svanidhi scheme. Kohinoor Bibi of the Kabadi Mazdoor Mahasangh said waste work was privatised under the guise of pandemic efficiency.

Gig worker Irfan drew parallels between digital discrimination and untouchability, noting how caste biases controlled everything. An ASHA worker from Odisha testified that they were denied protective kits and have yet to recover their lost wages. Krishna Moorthy of Tamil Nadu’s Manual Workers Union said the state used the crisis to further marginalise the unorganised sector.

The broader picture, commissioners reflected, was one of deliberate restructuring. “The pandemic did not cause these crises, but it was used to normalise them,” said lawyer and activist Annie Raja.

Natural resource communities: Resistance amid displacement

The pandemic also reshaped the relationship between the state and natural resource-based communities. Forest dwellers, fisherfolk and handloom weavers testified to how lockdowns became new mechanisms of control.

Fisherfolk were barred from the sea even as port projects continued. Handloom artisans fell into debt, with some reportedly driven to suicide. Forest communities in Bastar and Odisha faced intensified evictions and crackdowns.

Activists alleged that the pandemic was exploited to fast-track mining and industrial projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, often with approvals pushed through online without public hearings. “The lockdown became a template of governance,” said one participant, pointing to how curfews and shutdowns now extend into political protest sites.

Yet testimonies also highlighted resilience. Adivasi groups reclaimed forest land in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu fishers mapped their villages to challenge port projects, and handloom weavers organised debt relief campaigns.

Health for all: A destination still too far

The healthcare crisis dominated the afternoon of Day 1. Testimonies laid bare harsh realities and systematic neglect. Shadab recounted how his mother died after being denied treatment in several hospitals.

ASHA and Anganwadi workers described being exploited, underpaid, or left unpaid even as they were deployed on the frontlines without safety measures. Campaigners noted how private hospitals and ambulance services tripled their prices during the crisis.

Panellists warned that the government’s post-pandemic strategy — insurance-led provisioning through PMJAY – risks deepening inequalities. “The right to health cannot be outsourced to the market,” said public health academic Ritu Priya. The privatisation of the healthcare sector was a major concern, with speakers warning that it has turned health into a commodity and left the poor increasingly excluded.

Education: The pandemic’s lost generation

The conclave heard that after the pandemic, 31 lakh children were struck off government school rolls nationwide, with Dalit and Adivasi students worst affected. In Bihar alone, nine lakh children dropped out and 1,700 schools shut down.

The closure of government schools was not a temporary measure. Participants argued it marked an acceleration of “rationalisation” policies under the NEP, which merged or closed thousands of institutions, especially in rural areas.

Digital learning only widened the gap. Less than 15% of rural households had internet access, leaving the majority excluded. “For poor children, online learning meant no learning,” one speaker said. Parents testified that children in government schools were simply abandoned. Educators warned of long-term damage such as rising substance abuse, early marriages, and child labour. “We are creating a generation left behind by design,” said Prof. Arun Kumar.

Women: Paying the heaviest price

The evening turned to gender justice, with testimonies on how women bore disproportionate burdens. Dasvinder Kaur spoke of domestic workers’ struggles for unionisation. Meenakshi Bindoriya highlighted the spike in domestic violence and overstretched helplines. Mona, representing homeless women, demanded safe shelters, while Dr. Shanti described how reproductive healthcare collapsed, leaving pregnant women without care.

Several participants noted that women in marginalised communities like Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims faced the sharpest impacts. The pandemic intensified child marriage, trafficking, and violence. “Gender cannot be left as a theory. It must be in practice, in every policy,” said one speaker. A repeated refrain through the session was: “The cost of the pandemic was paid by the women of this country.”

Day 2: Connecting the threads

Day 2 sought to draw connections across the testimonies. Commissioners reflected on how governance itself had shifted.

Muslim participants recalled being blamed for Covid’s spread after the Nizamuddin cluster. “Corona bhi Nizamuddin se shuru hua tha” became a stigma, fuelling Islamophobia and curbs on livelihoods. Speakers noted this was not an isolated lapse but part of a narrative that positioned an entire community as culpable.

Workers also spoke of “distress migration” , forced migration driven by lack of jobs, collapsing wages, and absent state mechanisms. Speakers demanded stronger protections for both organised and unorganised workers.

Activists warned that the pandemic entrenched biometric surveillance, data collection, and new legal codes that expanded state control, creating a “lockdown of democracy.” Journalists and independent voices faced arrests under the pretext of misinformation control, while digital tracing tools normalised expanded monitoring of critics.

Culture, media and resistance

The conclave ended with testimonies from artists and journalists. Reporters from Khabar Lahariya and other independent outlets described criminalisation of their work and communalised coverage of the pandemic. Artists spoke of debt, censorship, and shrinking platforms.

Yet the closing cultural performances struck a note of defiance. The troupe Buddhar Kalai Kuzhu filled the hall with Parai drumming. Subhendu Ghosh blended folk and contemporary music. Trans musician Ayana Joe explored themes of gender and resistance through Carnatic rock. Yusra Naqvi sang ghazals and Urdu resistance poetry.

Maryam Seraj is a student at the University of Manchester pursuing a degree in Politics and Modern History, and an intern at The Wire.

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