Hunger crisis forces even middle-class Indians to line up for rations

迫于饥饿危机，印度中产阶级排队领取口粮

NEW DELHI: Chanchal Devi’s three children haven’t tasted milk for almost a year.

新德里：尚沙勒•德维（Chanchal Devi）的三个孩子几乎一年没喝过牛奶了。

The staple was among items the 35-year-old and her husband could no longer afford after they both first lost work when India’s capital New Delhi went into lockdown in March last year. Their distress deepened after this April due to a surge in Covid-19 infections. They’re now borrowing money to buy food and must watch their school-aged kids eat less, often going to bed on empty stomachs.

去年3月印度首都新德里实行封锁后，35岁的她和丈夫都失去了工作，他们再也买不起牛奶了。今年4月后，由于新冠感染病例激增，他们的痛苦加深了。他们现在借钱买食物，只能看着正在上学的孩子吃得更少，经常饿着肚子上床睡觉。

“I can’t sleep at nights,” said Chanchal from her home in Lal Gumbad Basti, a neighborhood of migrant workers about 20 minutes away from the nation’s parliament. “I’m so tired of worrying about arranging the next meal.”

“我晚上睡不着，”尚沙勒在家中说。“每天都要为安排下一顿饭而烦恼，我已经厌倦了。”

Families like Chanchal’s — two wage earners with some savings, living in rented accommodation — are among legions of Indians who saw their economic toehold ripped away in lockdowns over the last 12 months. More than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May alone at the height of a devastating wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums, according to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy.

像尚沙勒这样的家庭——两个有一些储蓄的工薪阶层，住在租来的房子里——在过去12个月里，是大批印度人中的一员，他们眼睁睁地看着自己的经济立足点在封锁中被摧毁。根据印度经济监测中心的数据，仅在5月份，就有超过1500万印度人失去工作，毁灭性的疫情导致医院和火葬场不堪重负。

All of that is leading to an increase in hunger, particularly in urban areas, in a nation that already accounts for nearly a third of the world’s malnourished people. While few statistics are available, migrants and workers at food distribution centers in major Indian cities say they can’t remember seeing lines this long of people yearning for something to eat.

所有这些导致饥饿人数的增加，特别是在城市地区，印度的营养不良人口已经占全世界的近三分之一。虽然没有什么统计数据，但在印度主要城市的食品配送中心工作的移民和工人表示，从未见过人们排这么长的队，只为了吃点东西。

“This desperation for food and the long lines for rations in families with two wage earners is unprecedented,” said Aditi Dwivedi, who works with migrant communities in the capital at Satark Nagrik Sangathan, a group that works on transparency and accountability in government that has advocated for more food aid for the needy.

Aditi Dwivedi在首都Satark Nagrik Sangathan的移民社区工作。Satark Nagrik Sangathan是一个致力于提高政府透明度和问责制的组织，倡导为贫困人口提供更多粮食援助。他说：“对于工薪家庭来说，这种对食物的渴望是前所未有的，也从没见过人们为领取粮食如此大排长龙”

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Chair

MODIJi's and BJP's Policies have been to ruin and ripoff the middle class which appears to have achieved.

莫迪和人民党的政策一直在压榨和消灭印度中产阶级，似乎已经实现了。

Dr. Carmo Costa-Viegas

And , ladies n gentlemen ,the price of milk has happily gone up along with cooking gas. And fuel sends just everything for a toss.

女士们，先生们，牛奶的价格和煤气一起上涨了。燃料价格上涨让一切都乱了套。

debashis mallick

Lier Feku has ruined so many families.

骗子莫迪毁了这么多家庭。

vinod

Modi send India atleast 20 years back.

莫迪至少让印度倒退了20年

C S

Chaiwala can only do so much.

一个卖茶人，能做的只有这些了。

Feku

Regardless Feku will continue to eat Rs 1 lakh mushroom daily, expensive clothes, palaces, weekly vacations, etc

不管怎样，莫迪将继续每天吃价值10万卢比的蘑菇、穿昂贵的衣服、住豪华的宫殿，每周都去度假等等

Dinesh kumar

Actually,no Politician cares whether middle-class people live or die.Harsh fact.

事实上，没有印度政客关心中产阶级的生死。这是残酷的事实。

Nature Truth

She can't feed herself, but still want three children. 5% of whole India population is pregnant even in COVID crisis where 30% is jobless. Next year there will be additional 70 millions mouth to feed. India GDP need to grow at min 8%p.a. to create 10mils new jobs every year for added labours

她养活不了自己，还生三个孩子。即使在新冠危机中，印度也有5%的人口怀孕，30%的人口失业。明年将增加7000万人口需要养活。印度GDP需要以最低8%的增长率增长，每年为新增劳动力创造1000万个新工作岗位

Murali

in india Ambanis and Adhans have become Asia Richest 1 and 2 position.

Tata is contributing to Indian population in many ways.

But what these ever riching Ambanis and Adhanis are doing for Indian population at the time of this crisis.

印安巴尼家族和阿达尼家族分别位列亚洲富豪榜第一和第二。

塔塔在很多方面为印度人做出了贡献。但在这场危机中，富有的安巴尼家族和阿达尼家族为印度人民做了什么。

Kricket

The pay comission has increased salary for govt employees by a whop 28%, unprecedented in these times.

工资委员会给政府雇员增加了28%的薪水，这是前所未有的。

Ajit Nair

what a disaster under bjp rule

在人民党的统治下，灾祸连连

Not God

Soon Modi Ji is going to change India's name to Ambanistan.. Everybody will be citizens of Ambanistan.

很快莫迪就会把印度的名字改成安巴尼斯坦。每个人都将成为安巴尼斯坦的公民。

Saltnpepper Fg

at this moment only the devotees of modi have stable lives

现在只有莫迪的信徒过着稳定的生活

Nature Truth

If middle class and double income families are hungry needs to queue for food aids, how is bottom 90% poor families co? Yet feku spent $140 billions for weapon shop spree.

如果中产阶级和双职工家庭都挨饿，都需要排队领取救济，那底层90%的贫困家庭如何应对?

即便如此，莫迪还是斥资1400亿美元疯狂购买武器。

Narayanan Subbiah

There are any number of persons at least in Tamilnadu, who are collecting all freebies and cash from government, even if they are doctors, property owners, car owners etc etc

至少在泰米尔纳德邦，有很多人从政府领取免费的东西和现金，即使他们是医生、有房有车的人等等

F C

Hunger crisis in Modi Raj , come on this is a fake news.

莫迪统治时期有饥饿危机？拜托，这是假新闻。

mpsjaichand

Modi ji has 35 years of begging experience. So he wants everyone to enjoy begging.

莫迪有35年的乞讨经验。所以他想让每个人都享受乞讨的乐趣。

Gaana User

Their appetite has increased since the day Modi Ji became our PM. They were eating very less when Congress was in power.

自从莫迪成为我们的总理后，他们的胃口就更大了。国大党掌权时，他们吃得很少。

Subrat Sahoo

The most incompetent PM of India so far.

莫迪是印度迄今为止最无能的总理。

C R

It took 60 years to bring a large section of the poor to middle class. But it only took the last 7 years to bring the middle class to poor class. Was kya beat hai.

用了60年的时间，才让很大一部分印度穷人成为中产阶级。但仅仅用了7年时间，中产阶级就变成了穷人。