This article is based on a study conducted by YUVA on the heightened vulnerabilities of the urban poor during the 54-day lockdown in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It unravels pre-existing fault lines of life in the city that accrue owing to living in inadequate habitats and working in insecure livelihoods. It focuses on the linkages between state-provided relief and access to the same vis-à-vis existing entitlements and documentation. It explores emerging deprivations and barriers of access to the PDS, social security, cash transfers and loans during the pandemic.
