FT reports that migrants have begun to find life unaffordable in cities following the LPG price hike and are heading back to the villages. I must confess I was surprised as I have not seen such a story in the Indian newspapers.
.......Shreya Ghosh, a labour rights activist from the Centre for Struggling Trade Unions, an umbrella group, estimated the number of departing workers was “in the hundreds of thousands”. “The LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] price rise made life unbearable,” she said. “No one can survive on wages even close to [the monthly minimum of] 11,000 rupees.”
In UP, the government has hiked wages by 21 per cent in order to stave off protests from workers. Industry is upset and says that many units will become unviable as a result.
“A steep rise in minimum wages will render operating costs unsustainable for industries across sectors,” said the Confederation of Indian Industry in a written statement to the state government, which is led by Modi’s party. “This may prompt companies to consider relocating or expanding operations in other cost-competitive states.”
I have to wonder how the Indian press missed the story.
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