Fact-finding team rejects ‘Pakistani conspiracy’ claim behind Noida labour unrest, cites wage crisis
New Delhi: A fact-finding team comprising former bureaucrats, journalists and lawyers has rejected claims that the recent labour unrest in Noida was the result of a “Pakistani conspiracy”, stating that stagnant wages and growing wage disparities with neighbouring states were the real reasons behind the protests.
The team was constituted by democratic rights group Jan Hastakshep and included S.S. Nehra, Ish Mishra, Ashok Sharma, Anil Dubey and M.Z. Ali.
The team visited Noida on April 24 and interacted with workers from several industrial units, shopkeepers and local residents affected by the unrest.
According to the statement issued by the team, no evidence was found to support allegations made by sections of the administration and parts of the media that foreign elements were behind the protests.
Instead, the investigators said workers’ anger had been building for years over low wages, rising inflation and the gap between wages in Noida and neighbouring Delhi and Haryana.
Workers told the team that factories shifting operations from Delhi and Gurugram to Noida continued paying lower wages after relocation, despite better wage structures in those places.
The report said resentment increased further after workers came to know that wages in Haryana units had risen sharply following a hike in minimum wages there.
This comparison, along with stagnant wages in Noida for more than a decade, reportedly led to the first sit-in protest at a garment manufacturing unit in Sector 83 earlier this month.
According to the team, protests later spread to industrial clusters in Sectors 59, 60, 62, 83 and 84, drawing tens of thousands of workers onto the streets.
The fact-finding group alleged that police action worsened the situation and claimed that more than 1,000 workers were detained. It also said some families were not informed about the whereabouts of those taken into custody for several days.
The team noted that the state government later issued notices to 43 contractors, cancelled licences of 10 contractors and announced a 21 per cent wage increase. It said these measures indicated recognition of wage-related irregularities rather than proof of any outside conspiracy.
A trade union leader quoted in the report said wages were not a major issue in Noida and Greater Noida two decades ago because they were higher than in many other states.
However, he said conditions changed over the years as wages increased in Delhi and Haryana but did not rise similarly in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that companies began fixing wages arbitrarily, leading to greater exploitation.
He also said most industries in Noida now function through contract labour, with workers hired through contractors who do not provide benefits.
The team concluded that the unrest reflected long-standing labour grievances caused by wage stagnation and rising living costs. It called for implementation of revised minimum wages, linking wages to inflation, and withdrawal of cases filed against workers involved in the protests.
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Gujarat voted for development & good governance, says Pradhan as BJP sweeps local body polls
New Delhi (PTI): Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said the people of Gujarat have reaffirmed their faith in the politics of development, stability and good governance as the BJP swept the local body elections by winning all 15 municipal corporations and 33 out of 34 district panchayats in the state.
Thanking the voters, Pradhan said the result is a testament to the people's unwavering trust in the BJP, the relentless hard work of the party workers and the strength of the organisation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
“The people of Gujarat have once again made it clear that their trust remains firmly aligned with the politics of development, stability and good governance. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Gujarat for the support received by the BJP in the local body elections,” Pradhan posted on X.
“Under the guidance of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, this result is a remarkable testament to the people's unwavering trust, the relentless hard work of the Gujarat BJP workers, and the strength of the organisation,” he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Gujarat for what he termed a "sweeping mandate" in the local body polls, saying the bond between the state and the BJP has grown even stronger.
Modi said people have voted for the politics of good governance, and assured that the party would work harder to take Gujarat to new heights of progress.
Though final results for 250 taluka panchayats and 84 municipalities were awaited, data from the State Election Commission (SEC) showed that the ruling BJP won most of these local bodies while some were bagged by the Congress, AAP and Independents.
Polling was held on Sunday for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats.
The BJP emerged a clear winner in the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Rajkot, besides the newly created municipal corporations of Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
