India's poorest 'fear hunger may kill us before coronavirus'
India's poorest 'fear hunger may kill us before coronavirus' India has been put in lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. People have been told to stay indoors, but for many daily-wage earners this is not an option. The BBC's Vikas Pandey finds out how they were coping in the days leading up to Tuesday's announcement. Labour Chowk in Noida is usually brimming with hundreds of men looking for jobs as construction labourers. The small intersection of roads in this suburban area of Delhi is a hotspot where builders come to hire workers. But it was eerily quiet when I drove there on Sunday during the initial lockdown. Everything was still - one could never imagine listening to the sound of birds chirping in such a busy area. But I did - almost in disbelief. I soon spotted a group of men huddled in a corner. I stopped and asked them, from a safe distance, if they were following the lockdown. Ramesh Kumar, who comes from Banda dis...