After Auto-Driver Kills Himself, Family Given Food
A 25-year-old auto driver in Shahpur, Patna killed himself on 13th June evening after failing to find a steady source of income or provide food for his family.
A 25-year-old auto driver in Shahpur, Patna killed himself on Saturday (13th June) evening after failing to find a steady source of income or provide food for his family. This was due to restrictions on travel and public transport due to the coronavirus lockdown. According to family members, he had struggled to earn money from driving his auto-rickshaw and had also failed to find work as a daily wager. The auto had been purchased on loan and nearly three months of lockdown had made paying installments even more difficult. His father said that, despite running from pillar to post, the family had also not been allotted a ration card. However, after news of his death reached the authorities, the Patna District Magistrate, Kumar Ravi, rushed to the family's home on Monday (15th June) with 25 kg of rice and wheat.
The young man is survived by his three children and wife. The tragic death of the 25-year-old has brought unemployment in Bihar into focus. According to think-tan CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy), the unemployment rate in Bihar is 46.2 per cent, as of May 2020. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged industrialists to set up factories in the state and provide jobs to both the lakhs of unemployed men and women already living there, as well as the lakhs of migrants returning home amid the lockdown. The lockdown in India was the most strict in the world. Because of the strict measure, lakhs were unemployed and many were struggling to survive. Even though lockdown restrictions have eased in areas, the economy is struggling to recover.
