On March 29, when Sharda Atram, 23, gave birth to a daughter, there were no celebrations in her home. All she could think about was how she would afford feeding an extra mouth.

Sharda lives with her widowed mother-in-law and two-year-old son at Bhimanala village in the Adivasi tehsil of Zari Jamni in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. Two months ago, her husband killed himself after his crops failed, leaving behind a loan he was unable to pay.

Sharda has Rs 10 in cash and a few kilos of wheat, jowar, rice, and dal left. Her family lives on bhakri, chutney, and, occasionally, watery dal. Garlic is the only “vegetable” in their diet. Since her husband’s death, her mother-in-law has been the sole breadwinner, working for daily wages.

Now, there is no work in the fields as the country is in lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and there’s no help from the administration.

Social activists told Newslaundry there are at least 10 lakh widows and single women farm workers like Sharda in rural Maharashtra, living in abject poverty with no access to government schemes. Some of them get pensions but the nearest ATMs are up to 40 km away, and public transport is suspended.

“My husband ended his life because of failed crops and a loan of Rs 70,000. He and my mother-in-law were the working hands of our family,” Sharda told Newslaundry. “After his death, my mother-in-law took care of the expenses. I couldn’t go to work since I was pregnant.”

She added: “We are dependent on daily wages but since everything is closed, we don’t have any work to do. We don’t have any cash with us, nor do we have enough food to survive for a long period of time. I don’t know how we will manage.”

Sharda’s mother-in-law, Chankibai, lost her husband 10 years ago. Over the last few months, she collected 20 kg of jowar, which was otherwise going to waste, while working in the fields as a labourer. Last week, she went to the government ration shop and bought 10 kg of wheat and three kg of rice.

“I had around Rs 60 with me and spent Rs 50 on the rations. We have only Rs 10 left,” Chankibai told Newslaundry. “We don’t have onions, potatoes, tomatoes, or any other vegetable except garlic. There is 1.5 kg of toor dal and we eat that once every two or three days. We have 250 grams of oil at home.”

Sharda is breastfeeding her baby, and Chankibai is worried. “She and her newborn daughter require nutrition, but we are surviving on bhakri, chutney and dal. My grandson survives on roti and chutney; there’s no arrangement of milk for him. I don’t know how I’ll buy rations next month.”

Roadblocks to government aid

On March 26, the central government announced the distribution of 5 kg of grains per person and one kg of pulses per family holding ration cards. The scheme, called the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojna, is meant to help economically weaker sections tide over the Covid-19 crisis.

However, the Maharashtra government has hindered the implementation of the central scheme. It issued an order on March 31 stating that free rations wouldn’t be given until ration card-holders take their regular quota of grains by paying money at fair price shops. The reason cited was that the “stocking of food grains and their transportation would pose a problem” otherwise. ( Newslaundry has the copy of government resolution)

Manohar Atram, who runs a fair price shop at Mudgaon village in Zari Jamni, said he hasn’t received any instruction from the tehsil about distributing free grains. “I have heard about the scheme announced by the central government. But we have not received any instruction,” he said. “We will continue to charge money for food rations until we get an order from the state government.”

Manohar hasn’t received the regular rations for distribution for the month of April. “I think it will be delivered within the next two days,” he said.

Seema Kulkarni of the Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch, a forum for women farmers’ rights, said the state’s order was a “tragedy” that has “become an obstacle in the free distribution of ration”.