Mumbai: Job losses and non-availability of work were the major reasons as people's earnings went down and every fifth respondent was forced to go hungry because of no money to buy food, Mukta Srivastava, the state's convener for the Anna Adhikar Abhiyan informed on Saturday.

According to the findings, 12 per cent of these people sold their jewellery while three percent sold their land during the COVID-19 lockdown to buy food.

Nearly 96 per cent of the people surveyed under a food rights campaign in Maharashtra faced a drop in their earnings during the COVID-19 lockdown last year. "Around 96% people out of those surveyed admitted that their earnings dropped sharply in the lockdown period, and their situation remained the same five months after the lockdown was lifted," Srivastava was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Abhiyan, comprising a group of activists from food and nutrition sector, surveyed a total of 250 people in May and September 2020 in multiple districts such as Mumbai, Pune and more. The central governmen declared a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

Later, after a few months, restrictions were slowly eased in a phased manner.