Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

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New Delhi:

The BJP lashed out at the Congress, accusing it of seeking foreign funds to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from coming to power in 2014. The party’s allegations came a day after US President Donald Trump questioned a move by former president Joe Biden’s administration to provide $21 million to India for “voter turnout” and questioned if they were “trying to get somebody else elected”.

The Congress has demanded a White Paper on the USAID funds to India and dubbed Trump’s claims as “nonsensical”.

BJP sources said during the rule of the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the government received $204.28 million, while the NGOs received $2114.96 million. This inflow slowed down to a trickle once the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power. The government funding dropped to $1 million from 2014 to 2015, though the funding of non-profits increased to $2579.73 million. 

Since its creation, George Soros’s OCCRP, which produced anti-government reports that were used by the Congress to target the NDA government, received $47 million, sources said.  

“After the Modi Government came to power, funding to the NGOs and other avenues in India increased significantly, showcasing how the focus has shifted from USAID being directly involved in governmental matters to funding anti-India/anti-national forums in India,” BJP sources claimed.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress’s senior leader and communications in-charge, has hit back with a demand for a White Paper.

In a post on X, Mr Ramesh said: “USAID is very much in the news these days. It was set up on November 3, 1961. Claims being made by the US President are typically nonsensical to say the least. Even so, the Govt of India should bring out a White Paper at the earliest detailing USAID’s support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades”.

USAID is very much in the news these days.

It was set up on November 3, 1961. Claims being made by the US President are typically nonsensical to say the least. Even so, the Govt of India should bring out a White Paper at the earliest detailing USAID’s support to both…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 20, 2025

On February 16, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by US billionaire and SpaceX chief Musk, listed items on which the “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent” and the list included “$21 million for voter turnout in India”.

On Thursday, Trump questioned the purpose of providing $21 million to India for “voter turnout”. “Why do we need to spend USD 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected,” President Trump said.

Congress general in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said, the government’s neglect of this crucial safety net exposes its indifference to rural livelihoods. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Congress on Sunday (February 2, 2025) lashed out at the government over keeping the MGNREGS budget stagnant and said the “neglect” of this crucial safety net exposes its indifference to rural livelihoods.

The allocation for the flagship rural employment scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Development Scheme (MGNREGS) was ₹86,000 crore, the same as last year.

In 2023-24, the allocation for MGNREGS was ₹60,000 crore, but additional funds were provided and the actual expenditure stood at ₹89,153.71 crore, the Budget document showed. No additional allocations for MGNREGS were made in 2024-25.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that despite rising rural distress, the government has kept MGNREGA’s budget stagnant at ₹86,000 crore for 2024-26.

“This effectively represents a decline in the real (adjusted for price rise) allocations made to MGNREGA,” he said.

“To add insult to injury, estimates suggest that about 20% of the budget is paid towards clearing dues from previous years,” Mr. Ramesh said.

“This effectively reduces MGNREGA’s reach, leaving drought-hit and poor rural workers stranded,” he added.

It also precludes any increase in the wages paid to workers, Mr. Ramesh said.

“Even in this ongoing Financial Year, the minimum average notified wage rate was increased by only 7%. This is at a time when Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is estimated to be 5%. MGNREGA is therefore ground zero for the national crisis of wage stagnation,” he said.

The government’s neglect of this crucial safety net exposes its indifference to rural livelihoods, Mr. Ramesh said.

The MGNREGS provides guaranteed 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to at least one member of every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It keeps at least one-third of jobs for women.

In the Covid pandemic year of 2020-21, when MGNREGS proved a lifeline in providing employment in rural areas amid huge reverse migration in the lockdown period, ₹1,11,169 crore was spent on the scheme, according per previous budget documents.

Accusing the Modi government of perpetuating a policy of indifference to the plight of MGNREGA workers, the Congress on Monday (January 27, 2025) demanded that the Union Budget must increase MGNREGA wages and the Aadhar-Based Payment Bridge Systems not be made mandatory.

The Opposition party demanded that MGNREGA wages be increased with the goal of hitting ₹400 per day as a national minimum wage. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said MGNREGA wages cannot be set by the arbitrary whims of the government.

He said a Standing Committee must be established to evaluate the need for changes in the wage rate. “The Aadhar-Based Payment Bridge Systems (ABPS) must not be made mandatory,” Mr. Ramesh said.

He also put forward the demand that the number of workdays under MGNREGA must be increased from 100 to 150 days. “One of the earliest indications of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s uncaring attitude and shortsightedness was his mockery of MGNREGA on the floor of Parliament in 2015,” Mr. Ramesh said.

In the years since, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, MGNREGA has conclusively demonstrated its utility as one of the few social security interventions that the government can execute, he said.

“From a pre-pandemic total of 6.16 crore households requesting work under the scheme in 2019-20, the numbers jumped by 33% to 8.55 crore in 2020-2021,” he said. “For these crores of families, MGNREGA was the only lifeline amidst the chaos of the government’s unplanned lockdowns,” Mr. Ramesh said.

“Amidst an ongoing economic slowdown, there continue to be 9.31 crore active workers that are employed under the programme as of January 2025. Close to 75% of these workers are women. Despite this reality, the government continues to perpetuate a policy of indifference to their plight,” he alleged.

As a share of GDP, allocations to MGNREGA have been reduced to 0.26% in 2024-25, Mr. Ramesh said pointing out that the World Bank recommends that at least 1.7% of the GDP should be allocated to this programme.

“Of the Budgetary allocations made to MGNREGA, estimates suggest that about 20% of the Budget is paid towards clearing dues from previous years,” he said. “The minimum average notified wage rate was increased by 7% in FY25- at a time when Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is estimated to be 5%. The real wage increase is therefore a miserly 2%,” he pointed out.

“Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, close to four crore job cards were deleted. Meanwhile, only 1.2 crore job cards have been added in the last two years,” Mr. Ramesh said.

“Estimates from one State suggest that 15% of the deletions were wrongful and on January 1, 2024, the Central Government made it mandatory that all payments for MGNREGA must be through the Aadhar-Based Payment System (ABPS),” the Congress general secretary said.

“However, 27% of workers are ineligible for payment under the ABPS and their demand for work is not registered,” he said, adding that many also lose their wages despite doing work.

“The National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) is also required for workers to register attendance. However, glitches in the app, limited access to smartphones, and irregular connectivity have resulted in widespread prevalence of unregistered attendance, unrecorded work, and delayed wage payments,” Mr. Ramesh argued.

“During the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, MGNREGA workers from across the country raised these issues at the Jan Sunwai held at Ranka, Garhwa District, Jharkhand, on February 14, 2024,” he recalled.

Eight months later, these issues continue to persist — “a government-created human, economic and institutional tragedy,” he said.

Putting forwards the demands of the Congress, Mr. Ramesh noted that several of them have already found place in the Demand for Grants Report (2024-2025) put forth by the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.

“MGNREGA was envisioned as a demand-driven scheme, with workdays depending on the individuals applying for work rather than government Budgets. Especially given the worsening economic downturn, the Budget must make adequate financial provision to realise this vision,” Mr. Ramesh asserted.

“Amidst a decade-long crisis of stagnant wages, an increase in MGNREGA wages — as envisioned in the Congress Nyay Patra for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections — assumes renewed importance,” he said.

“The forthcoming Union Budget must increase MGNREGA wages, with the goal of hitting ₹400 per day as a national minimum wage,” Mr. Ramesh said.

The Congress leader also demanded that wages must be paid within the statutory period of 15 days and any delay in payment must be compensated. In FY 2013-14, the minimum average notified wage rate for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA was ₹155, while in FY 2024-25, the minimum average notified wage rate is ₹279.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Congress on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) claimed that it is becoming clear that the “disappointing” Quarter 2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth numbers are not a blip but a clear slowdown in the economy and the post-pandemic bump is not broad-based enough to power long-term growth.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited an article in a newspaper which claimed that the fallout of limited job creation and muted wage growth can be seen in the greater recourse to debt. Mr. Ramesh said the article confirms the growing concerns on the Indian economy.

“It is becoming clear that the disappointing Q2 GDP growth numbers aren’t a blip but a clear slowdown in the economy. The Government’s attempts to pass the buck on to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) interest rate regime and foreign exchange market interventions is an attempt to escape responsibility,” he said.

The post-pandemic bump in growth was driven by a service exports boom and its knock-on effects – but this is not broad-based enough to power long-term growth,” Mr. Ramesh said, citing the article.

“The middle class is shrinking. The shift in the automotive industry is clear evidence: the low-priced, small car markets (the sub ₹10 lakh segment) earlier accounted for 73% of all car sales and now accounts for only 46% of cars sold. Growth is coming only from the premium end of the market, reflecting high inequality,” he said.

“The failure of Make in India and PLIs, the country’s mass unemployment crisis and the decade-long wage stagnation is beginning to reflect in increasing household indebtedness, poor macro-economic outcomes, and sluggish investment,” Mr. Ramesh said.

India’s economic growth slowed to near two-year low of 5.4% in the July-September quarter of this fiscal owing to poor performance of manufacturing and mining sectors, but the country continued to remain the fastest-growing large economy.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) had also hit out at the Modi government over its economic policies and asserted that real development is when everyone progresses, there is a fair environment for business, a fair tax system and the income of workers increases.

Mr. Gandhi had announced the launch of a ‘White T-shirt Movement,’ championing the rights of the masses. He had accused the Narendra Modi government of turning its back on the poor. The Congress leader had announced the launch in a post on X and urged people to be a part of it.

“If you believe in economic justice, oppose rising wealth inequalities, fight for social equality, reject all forms of discrimination, and strive for peace and stability in our country, wear your white T-shirts and join the movement,” said the video voiceover posted by Mr. Gandhi on X.

The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy, claiming the issues of rising prices, decreasing private investment and stagnating wages are hitting the common people hard.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Congress claimed Sunday (January 19, 2025) the Modi government’s “retrograde policies” have broken the confidence of investors in India and converted “ease of doing business to unease in doing business”.

The upcoming budget must eliminate “raid raj and tax terrorism” to fix this, the Opposition party said.

It also called on the government to take action to protect Indian manufacturing jobs and take decisive action to shore up wages and purchasing power.

Congress General Secretary (In-charge, Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government has long proclaimed its desire to improve the “ease of doing business” in India but yet in the past decade “we have only seen an easing of private investment which has fallen to record lows and the easing out of businesspersons who have departed India in large numbers for foreign shores”.

“A byzantine, punitive, and arbitrary tax regime covering both GST and income tax – which amounts to sheer Tax Terrorism – is now the greatest threat to India’s prosperity and has contributed to an ‘unease of doing business’,” he said in a statement.

The biggest component of investment which is private domestic investment has been weak since 2014, Ramesh said, adding it was solidly in the 25-30 per cent of GDP range during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as PM.

“In the last ten years, it has collapsed to the 20-25 per cent of GDP range. This sluggish investment has been accompanied by a mass exodus of high-net-worth individuals. More than 17.5 lakh Indians have acquired the citizenship of another country over the past decade,” he said.

An estimated 21,300 dollar-millionaires left India between 2022 and 2025, he claimed.

“All this is happening for three reasons. Firstly, a complicated GST. According to former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, the GST which was proclaimed by the PM to be a Good and Simple Tax has up to a 100 different tax rates, including cesses,” he said.

The multiplicity of rates and confusion has facilitated alarming GST evasion of Rs 2.01 lakh crore, almost double the Rs 1.01 lakh crore reported in FY23, he said.

Mr. Ramesh claimed that 18,000 fraudulent entities have been uncovered with many more likely undetected.

“Secondly, despite claims to the contrary, Chinese imports into India continue unabated with a record trade deficit of $85 billion in 2023-24. This has damaged Indian manufacturing, especially in labour intensive sectors,” Ramesh said.

Thirdly, weak consumption and stagnant wages have reduced India’s consumption growth despite the free availability of personal debt, he said.

“According to Ministry of Agriculture data, real wages for agricultural labour grew 6.8 per cent per year under the UPA, and declined 1.3 per cent per year under the Modi government,” he said.

Citing the Periodic Labour Force Survey data, he said it shows that average real earnings stagnated between 2017 and 2022 across all workers — salaried, casual and self-employed.

“These retrograde policies have broken the confidence of investors in India. To fix this, the budget must eliminate raid raj and Tax Terrorism, take action to protect Indian manufacturing jobs and take decisive action to shore up wages and purchasing power, which in turn will incentivise Indian business to invest. Nothing less will do,” Ramesh asserted.

Sharing his statement on X, Mr. Ramesh said, “The 2025/26 Union Budget will be presented thirteen days from today. Here is our statement on how the Modi Government has converted the ease of doing business to unease in doing business – thereby depressing private investment sentiment. Radical action is necessary to fix the damage.”

The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy, claiming the issues of rising prices, decreasing private investment and stagnating wages are hitting the common people hard.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Congress on Friday claimed that the last quarter of the current fiscal year (2024-25) witnessed the “second-slowest pace” of collection of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the past three years and urged the government to focus on the complexities of the economy instead of imposing tax on popcorn.

Net GST growth slumps to 3.3% in December, as revenues slow and refunds rise 45%

In a statement on the latest GST numbers, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh claimed India was locked in a “pernicious cycle of low consumption-low investment-low growth-low wages”.

“The litany of demoralising news on the economic front from the deceleration in growth to the poor GST revenue collections – demands that the government apparatus shift its focus from administering tax on popcorn to engaging with the complexities of the economy,” Mr. Ramesh said.

The Congress leader said the Union Budget, to be presented next month, must provide income support to the poor and tax relief for the middle class. He also suggested that government expenditure must instead be used as a stimulus for the economy.

Editorial | ​Selective indecision: on the GST Council’s 55th meeting, decisions

“A GST 2.0 — a truly Good and Simple Tax like the Indian National Congress had envisaged in its Nyay Patra for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections — must be instituted,” he said.

Mr. Ramesh also added that “tax and investigative agency terrorism that was deterring private investment and leading to flight of entrepreneurs must end”.

Editorial | Revenue repercussions: on GST revenue trends

The Congress leader said the latest data from December showed that GST collection receipts increased at the second-slowest pace in three-and-a-half years. “Net GST collections, after adjusting for refunds, slumped to 3.3 per cent growth — the lowest in FY25. This is concerning news, on several fronts,” he claimed.

Mr. Ramesh said the government recorded an increase in GST collections of 8.6% in the first three quarters of the current financial year while the Budget had estimated an 11% growth.

“This slowdown in revenue collections cannot be justification for the government to further cut down on social welfare programme like MGNREGA [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act], at a time when rural wages have been stagnant and consumption slackening,” he said.

New Delhi:

In a sharp counter to senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s question on why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited violence-hit Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has asked why former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao did not travel to the Northeastern state during the turmoil in 1992-93.

Addressing the media on the last day of 2024, Chief Minister Singh yesterday said it had been an unfortunate year for Manipur and hoped peace would be restored this year.

“This entire year has been very unfortunate. I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what’s happening till today since last May 3. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I feel regret. I apologise. But now, I hope after seeing the last three to four months progress towards the peace, I believe by 2025, the normalcy will be restored in the state,” he said.

Everyone, including yourself, is aware that Manipur is in turmoil today because of the past sins committed by the Congress, such as the repeated settlement of Burmese refugees in Manipur and the signing of the SoO Agreement with Myanmar-based militants in the state, spearheaded… https://t.co/A0X9urZ7M6

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) December 31, 2024

“I want to appeal to all the communities in the state, whatever happened has happened. You have to forgive and forget the past mistakes and we have to start a new life (towards) a peaceful and prosperous Manipur,” the Chief Minister added.

Why can’t the Prime Minister go to Manipur and say the same thing there? He has deliberately avoided visiting the state since May 4th, 2023, even as he jets around the country and the world. The people of Manipur simply cannot understand this neglect https://t.co/38lizNtiAy

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 31, 2024

Mr Ramesh responded with a jab, accusing the Centre of neglecting the state. “Why can’t the Prime Minister go to Manipur and say the same thing there? He has deliberately avoided visiting the state since May 4th, 2023, even as he jets around the country and the world. The people of Manipur simply cannot understand this neglect,” the Congress leader said in a post on X.

The Chief Minister responded with a long post, holding Congress responsible for the situation in Manipur today. “Everyone, including yourself, is aware that Manipur is in turmoil today because of the past sins committed by the Congress, such as the repeated settlement of Burmese refugees in Manipur and the signing of the SoO Agreement with Myanmar-based militants in the state, spearheaded by @PChidambaram_IN during his tenure as the Home Minister of India,” he said.

Mr Singh was earlier with the Congress and switched to the BJP after disagreements with then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. 

The Chief Minister said his apology was a “sincere act of expressing my grief for the people who have been left displaced and become homeless”. “As a Chief Minister, it was an appeal to forgive and forget what had happened. However, you brought politics into it,” he said.

“Let me remind you: The Naga-Kuki clashes in Manipur resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,300 people and the displacement of thousands more. The violence persisted for several years, with periodic escalations occurring between 1992 and 1997, though the most intense period of conflict was in 1992-1993.

“The clashes began in 1992 and continued at varying intensities for around five years (1992-1997). This period marked one of the bloodiest ethnic conflicts in northeast India, deeply affecting relations between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur. Did Shri PV Narasimha Rao, who served as the Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996 and was the President of the Indian National Congress during this time, come to Manipur to extend an apology?,” the Chief Minister asked.

“The Kuki-Paite clashes claimed 350 lives in the state. During most of the Kuki-Paite clashes (1997-1998), Shri IK Gujral was the Prime Minister of India. Did he visit Manipur and say sorry to the people?” he added. “Instead of putting efforts to solve the core issues in Manipur, why is the @INCIndia playing politics over it all the time?”

Unrest in Manipur has claimed over 180 lives since May last year, when violence erupted over the Meities community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and the tribal Kukis’ opposition to this.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh attacked the Centre over its decision to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, drawing a sharp retort from Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

In a post on X, Mr Ramesh on Monday shared a question asked by his party colleague Viriato Fernandes in the Lok Sabha as to whether the government’s decision to allocate satellite spectrum through administrative means rather than auctioning it is meant to facilitate the entry of billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink into the Indian market. Mr Musk had criticized the auction route and praised the government’s decision to allocate the spectrum administratively.

In his written reply, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said, “No Sir. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 provides for the assignment of spectrum through the administrative process for satellite-based services, listed in First Schedule of the Act.” 

“The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) grants authorisations under Unified License (UL) for providing Satellite-based commercial communication services. Satellite-based communication licenses are granted to any applicant, subject to acceptance and in compliance of the applicable licensing terms and conditions, including security conditions of India,” he said.

Spectrum assigned administratively are also chargeable and hence contribute to revenue, Mr Sekhar said.

Sharing a picture of Mr Sekhar’s written answer, Mr Ramesh said that a parliamentary question has confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has decided to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, without auctions, despite demands from many sections.

A parliamentary question has confirmed that the Modi government has decided to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, without auctions, despite demands from many sections. The government has stated on the record that “spectrum assigned… pic.twitter.com/CR8bCLEAPv

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 16, 2024

The government has stated on record that “spectrum assigned administratively are also chargeable and hence contribute to revenue”, a position contrary to what PM Modi has been loudly proclaiming for many years, the Congress lawmaker said.

“Recall that the BJP reaped huge political dividends from the media frenzy generated by its proxies in the government over the UPA’s allocation of 2G spectrum by administrative processes rather than auctions. Fraudulent revenue loss projections and an overactive judiciary ended up doing huge damage to the investment environment in telecoms,” he charged.

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Response To Jairam Ramesh

Responding to Jairam Ramesh’s post, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is the Minister for Communications, said the satellite spectrum cannot be auctioned due to “technical and operational” reasons.

No country in the world currently auctions satellite spectrum, he said.

“Well done Jairam Ramesh for coherently chronicling the abominable 2G scam, and spelling out how the Congress ended up digging its own grave then. The country cannot forget this blot on India’s history; a scam that not just led to a colossal loss of Rs 1,76,645 crore to the exchequer, but also gave government-corporate collaboration its worst name, a.k.a crony capitalism,” he wrote.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also told Mr Ramesh that it was “rather ironical and ignorant” of him to point fingers at the Modi government in this regard.

“In the UPA era, spectrum was allocated via the opaque FCFS (first come, first served) policy, resulting in scams and losses. The Modi government PRIORITISES TRANSPARENCY & PUBLIC INTEREST- mobile telephony spectrum is now auctioned,” he said.

Well done @Jairam_Ramesh for coherently chronicling the abominable 2G scam, and spelling out how the Congress ended up digging its own grave then.

The country cannot forget this blot on India’s history; a scam that not just led to a colossal loss of Rs. 1,76,645 Crore to the… https://t.co/47fdngxNBApic.twitter.com/68HNJpBBDU

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 17, 2024

“Satellite spectrum cannot be auctioned due to technical and operational reasons as I recently explained at a public forum. This distinction is also codified in Schedule 1 of the new Telecommunications Act 2023. Had you read the Act and participated more actively in the proceedings of the Parliament, you’d know better than to draw such absurd conclusions,” Mr Scindia said.

He stated the satellite spectrum in the Ku band (around 14 GHz) and Ka band (27.1 to 31 GHz) is inherently shareable in nature and therefore it is neither desirable nor feasible to allocate it through auction. 

Given that satellite spectrum is highly under-utilised, failing to assign it would result in two key disadvantages: potential loss of government revenue, and missed opportunities to advance technologically, which could help bridge the digital divide, the Minister said.

“Whereas the BJP under PM Modi has always sought to maximise governance, the Congress has a track record of maximising its own pockets at the expense of public interest. To top it off, it is the Congress that mastered the art of “manufacturing consent” to further its own agenda, and protect its own interests,” he said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Accusing the Narendra Modi Government of ignoring the fine print of the women’s Labour Force Participation Ratio (LFPR), which as per the government’s statement from last month, increased from 27% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh pointed out that 84% of this increase is actually in case of self-employed women many of who are engaged in unpaid family work.

The data, he said, reveals that the women entering the workforce as either salaried workers or self-employed are earning less today than they did six years ago.

What is the outlook on women’s employment? | Explained

The increase in women’s LFPR, he said, on a closer look reveals that it is primarily driven by rural women, whose entry into the labour force is driven by “economic distress”. He further pointed out that the proportion of rural women engaged in self-employment has jumped sharply from 57.7% (2017-18) to 73.5% (2023-24), and in case of urban women it has gone from 34.8% (2017-18) to 42.3% (2023-24). Unpaid family work by rural and urban women has risen from 31.7% (2017-18) to 36.7% (2023-24). 84% of the increase in the total women’s LFPR between 2017-18 and 2023-24 is accounted for by self-employment, which includes unpaid family work.

“Any modernising economy undergoes structural transformation as workers move from low-paying agricultural jobs to better prospects in manufacturing and service industries. This has tragically been reversed over the past decade,” Mr. Ramesh said.

The proportion of rural women working in agriculture has increased from 73.2% (2017-18) to 76.9% (2023-24), and remains above what it was even during the pandemic. Meanwhile the share of jobs in the modern services sector (health, education, IT etc.) for women has declined since 2021.

Underlining why the data is not promising, he also pointed out that there has been a significant dip in women’s income. “The final piece of this dismal picture is wages. After adjusting for inflation, the real average monthly wage of self-employed women plummeted by ₹3,073 between 2017-18 and 2023-24, a drop of 35%. The real wage of salaried female workers fell by ₹1,342, or a drop of 7%, over the same period,” he said.

The increase in women’s LFPR, he argued, is actually driven by rural distress and coupled with deterioration of quality of jobs and fall in real wages of female categories, gives no reason to celebrate.

“This should be seen as nothing less than a tragedy and another failed jumla of the Modi Government,” Mr. Ramesh added.