On May 12, the Vijay Rupani government in Gujarat declared cremation ground workers as "Corona Warriors" and extended a 25-lakh-rupee insurance benefit for each of them. However, no further details regarding the scheme, including the number of beneficiaries or eligibility, were elucidated. Being unsalaried, most crematorium workers in Vadodara are not under contract and work voluntarily. The only salaried worker at the crematoriums of Vasna-Bhayli and Gotri is the security personnel. While security guards do not qualify as cremation ground workers, the ground workers are not 'hired' to avail themselves of insurance benefits. According to a daily wage worker at the Gotri crematorium, he did not receive any other benefits barring the 400-rupee-wage at the end of the day. Handling dead bodies, setting up wood, and cleaning pyres after use are only some of the jobs undertaken by crematorium workers. As COVID cases peaked over the last month, the workers were in constant exposure to the v

Author-Raveena