Madhya Pradesh State Report Lists 25% Of Its Population As Labourers; Congress Alleges Scam

Out of a total population of 7.27 crores, 1.85 crores or ¼ of the total population in Madhya Pradesh work in the unorganised sector, as per the 2011 census. The figures came to light in a review meeting conducted by the state government to discuss the best ways of implementing labour welfare schemes.

The report then questioned the State’s Labour Minister Balkrishna Patidar, who said, “Farmers who had less than 2.50 acre of land were treated as labourers. Those who are paying income tax, pensioners… we will sort the list. In the coming days, the number of such labourers might decline”.

Congress has alleged that this is a tactic to garner more funds from the Centre. “On May 1, Labour Day, they will see if they can gather two crore labourers. It is a scam to get funds and benefits in the name of labourers,” Congress spokesman KK Mishra told NDTV.

According to The Free Press Journal, the number of people below poverty line (BPL) has increased so much that the quantity of ration meant for this category has become less.

This statement was further strengthened when NDTV quizzed one of the daily wage workers named Inder, who openly admitted to not having a ration card and was working in the unorganised sector since the past ten years.

Further, it was revealed that the most number of labourers, nearly 7 lakh labourers, who registered in the unorganised sector came from the parliamentary constituency of Kamal Nath. This is the highest in the state. Another district Vidisha, the Parliamentary Constituency of the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, also recorded nearly 4 lakh registrations. According to a NITI Ayog report, it is also the most backward district in the country.

The plight of labourers in the country is often unheard. They are used as bargaining chips and mere statistics by various governments. Most of the labourers have little clue of welfare schemes or how to avail their benefits. It is imperative for any government to work towards their welfare, not just give hope to build a cloud-cuckoo-land before every election.