Pandemic hits hard families depending on Khwairamband Keithel
Source: Chronicle News Service / Mission Oinam

Imphal, June 28 2021: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit the lives of the people of Manipur including many families depending on Khwairamband Keithel, which is considered as the economic hub of the state.

Spread throughout the globe, COVID-19 pandemic reached India in early part of March, 2020 and it hit Manipur the same year and the state is now encountering the second wave of the pandemic.

The pandemic has not only completely altered normalcy of the people but also badly affected economic activities.

There is no denying the fact that daily wage earners are the worst affected sections of the society and among this section of the society also include 6000 families who are directly or indirectly dependent on Khwairamband Keithel.

Three Khwairamband Keithel namely Ima Leimarel Sidabi, Emoinu Ima Keithel and Phouoibi Ima Keithel are not only considered world's largest all-woman market but are also symbol of women empowerment and around 4000 women possess vendor license and trade their products in these three markets.

Apart from them, around 2000-3000 women including temporary license holders are earning their livelihood at the temporary Ima market of Khwairamband Keithel.

When COVID-19 spread to India and reached Manipur, nationwide lockdown was imposed from last week of March, 2020 in the first wave and Khwairamband Keithel remained shut for nine months as government took up various measures to contain the pandemic.

When the situation improved gradually, government allowed reopening of all the three Keithel and temporary market from February 15, 2021.After opening for around 50 days, all these markets had to be shut down again from April 21 last as the state faced the second wave of Covid pandemic.

For those families depending on Khwairamband Keithel, prolonged closure of the markets has been a tough war for earning livelihood.

A cloth trader in Emoinu Ima Keithel named Ningombam Ongbi Asha (50) told The People's Chronicle that COVID-19 pandemic badly affected daily wage earners like her who is feeding family with the meagre income earned from Ima Keithel and her family would be in hell had there not been her two younger sisters who are nurses.

"My husband did earn some money by operating auto-rickshaw before the pandemic and the little money we saved managed the family chores and education expenses of our children.

However, both of us earn nothing during the pandemic and we have no work," Asha said.

She further informed that cloths she collected from weavers were brought to her home from Khwairamband Keithel when it was shut for nine months during the first wave and she could afford to meet family needs by selling these cloths to friends and relatives with little or no profit.

She further said that she could not keep much stock of cloths during the brief reopening of Ima Keithel as all her money were utilised during lockdown in the first wave and now it has been more than two months that the Keithel has remained shut due to second wave of the pandemic.

"Suffering in the second wave has increased as I have no stock of cloths and there is no means of earning livelihood now.

However, my two younger sisters are keeping my family alive by providing daily essentials and other needs from time to time," Asha said and expressed concern over conditions of other women vendors of Khwairamband Keithel who have no one to help or look after them.

Meanwhile, Khwairamband Nupi Keithel Sinpham and Shaktam Kanba Lup finance secretary Pakpi said that COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit women vendors of Khwairamband Keithel as majority of them are running their respective families with the meagre income they could earn from trading activities in the Keithel.

More than 4000 license holder women vendors are earning their livelihood from the Keithel and they have no other profession other than selling their goods at the Keithel, she said, adding that closure Khwairamband Keithel for almost a year now has compounded the suffering of families of women vendors.

Nevertheless, COVID-19 is a dreaded disease and it has taken lives of many people and hence women vendors need to support the strict measures being taken up by the government including closure of markets to contain the pandemic, she opined and observed that women vendors could not resume their trading at the Keithel merely for earning some money while risking lives.

It would be better for all the women vendors of the Khwairamband Keithel to have patience despite facing hardships and wait for the situation to improve and reopen the Keithel, she said and expressed hope that government would waive the license fee as did earlier in the first wave of the pandemic.

Mention may be made here that 1269 women vendors of Khwairamband Keithel availed loan under Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atamanirbar Nidhi and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana during the first wave of the pandemic.

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