'Proverbial ostrich': Congress slams govt over 'unprecedented decline' in real wages
Congress on Sunday claimed that a combination of slow wage growth and «back-breaking» inflation has caused an unprecedented decline in real wages and said that like the "proverbial ostrich", the government continues to remain blind to the most fundamental challenge faced by the Indian economy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a new report by a noted brokerage firm has once again shed light on the truth that the Union Government has consistently denied — real household incomes in India are facing a persistent decline.
«A combination of slow wage growth and back-breaking inflation has caused an unprecedented decline in real wages (wages adjusted for price rise) and therefore incomes,» he said in a statement.
Ramesh pointed out that several surveys and data sets — including the Annual Survey of Unregistered Enterprises (ASUSE), the Reserve Bank of India's KLEMS data, and the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) — have demonstrated financial distress among working class Indians.
Multiple data sources, including the government's own official statistics, have even shown clear evidence that workers can buy less today than they could 10 years ago, he said.
«Labour Bureau's Wage Rate Index (Government Data): Real wages for labourers stagnated between 2014-2023, and in fact declined between 2019-2024. Ministry of Agriculture's Agricultural Statistics at a Glance (Government Data): Under Dr Manmohan Singh, real wages for agricultural labourers grew at 6.8% each year. Under Mr.
