Homelessness comes with a slew of challenges and a never-ending struggle for survival. This study examines the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on the homeless population of urban India. The study reflects on the experiences of the homeless in the major cities of India during the first wave of the pandemic as well as explores the aspect of their rights and the role of government policy in this regard. The methodology of the study is qualitative in nature, where secondary data collected from various sources such as news articles, blogs, books, journals, and reports are put to analysis for deriving the findings. The study reveals the sufferings of the homeless in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Their fight is not merely with the SARS-CoV-2 virus but also with hunger, unemployment, and neglect faced by them. The study highlights the fact that their rights are being compromised due to drawbacks relating to policy implementation. The study concludes with certain suggestions such as, addressing the loopholes in policy implementations and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 封锁下印度城市无家可归者：重新思考他们的权利和公共政策的作用

无家可归者面临着一系列的挑战和永无休止的生存斗争。这项研究探讨了大流行和封锁对印度城市无家可归人口的影响。该研究反思了第一波大流行期间印度主要城市无家可归者的经历，并探讨了他们的权利方面以及政府政策在这方面的作用。该研究的方法本质上是定性的，对从新闻文章、博客、书籍、期刊和报告等各种来源收集的二手数据进行分析以得出研究结果。该研究揭示了德里、孟买、加尔各答、班加罗尔和金奈等城市无家可归者的痛苦。他们不仅要与 SARS-CoV-2 病毒作斗争，还要与所面临的饥饿、失业和忽视作斗争。该研究强调了这样一个事实：由于政策执行方面的缺陷，他们的权利正在受到损害。研究最后提出了一些建议，例如解决政策执行中的漏洞和创造可持续的生计机会。