A recently released government report captures a reality where unpaid labor, especially of women, has increased significantly, informal work has increased, agriculture is increasingly the mainstay of work, and low-paying self-employment dominates the world of work

The situation is a direct result of policy choices made by the government which has repeatedly talked of curtailing subsidies, minimizing intervention in governance, encouraging the private sector to run the economy, reducing public expenditure and – specifically – getting rid of the procurement and distribution system for foodgrains

The bounce-back from the pandemic is negligible, with the number of persons not working rising rapidly

According to the calculations done by the government’s own economists, real wages – that is, wages adjusted to inflation – of rural laborers are either stagnating or showing a marginal fall over the past over two years

Government finances and policy need to be reoriented towards the people, away from corporate fat cats. The focus needs to be on providing jobs, addressing inflation, and lifting incomes and wages

With economic conditions continuing to decline for India’s laboring sections, 2023 is set to see more struggles and strikes both at a local and a national level

September’s unemployment rate fell to 6.43% from August’s 8.3%. However, behind this statistic lies the fact that the share of the working-age population that is actually working is still less than in pre-pandemic times

Droupadi Murmu was recently elected as India’s first tribal president. However, behind the celebrations lies the reality of how the ruling party has failed to address the issues faced by tribals

This is in contrast to estimated 84% of Indian families reporting decline in their earnings due to pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions

The government is ignoring people’s distress and the worsening crisis – and it has no solutions

…… to counter the increasing discontent with joblessness and price rise, and the Indian government’s inability to deal with them

Workers and farmers are demanding relief from economic distress – and also a complete change in the economic policy of the Modi government.