The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): With India’s informal workforce of over 45 crore facing unprecedented livelihood losses and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress party today announced a slew of measures to protect and empower the working class. The highlight is a promise to increase the minimum daily wage under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from the current Rs. 202 to Rs. 400.
This move could provide a critical income safety net to the estimated 13.2 crore active MGNREGA workers (MoRD, 2022), most of whom are from marginalized SC/ST/OBC communities and earn well below the national minimum wage of Rs. 178 per day (ILO, 2021). The party also pledges to expand the scope of MGNREGA to include urban areas and create community assets like schools and health centers.
To address the growing jobs crisis in cities, where the unemployment rate has soared to 25.7% among youth aged 15-29 years (PLFS, 2022), Congress promises to launch a national Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme, providing at least 100 days of work per household at a minimum wage of Rs. 600 per day. This could benefit an estimated 5 crore urban poor households.
Recognizing the plight of India’s 1.2 crore gig workers and 20 crore unorganized sector workers, who lack basic social security and labor rights (NCEUS, 2021), the manifesto pledges to enact a comprehensive law for their welfare and protection. It also promises to set up a National Platform for Unorganized Workers to facilitate their access to social security schemes.
For the 2.6 crore construction workers in India, who face hazardous working conditions and frequent accidents (ILO, 2022), Congress vows to strictly enforce the Building and Other Construction Workers Act and ensure their access to safety gear, healthcare and insurance. It also promises to revive the cess-funded welfare boards for their benefit.
To address the low and stagnant wages in the organized sector, the party pledges to strengthen the collective bargaining rights of trade unions and ensure a national minimum wage of Rs. 25,000 per month for all workers. It also promises to fill all vacant posts in the central and state labor departments and set up fast-track labor courts to settle disputes.
On the critical issue of child labor, with India home to 10.1 million working children aged 5-14 years (Census 2011), Congress promises to launch a national mission to rescue and rehabilitate all child laborers and enroll them in schools. It also pledges to increase funding for anti-trafficking units and child protection services.
As India’s working class struggles to recover from the twin shocks of demonetization and the pandemic, with over 12 crore people pushed into poverty in the last two years alone (Pew Research, 2022), the Congress manifesto offers a much-needed lifeline. However, delivering on these promises will require a major restructuring of labor laws and a significant increase in public spending on social protection.