Unorganised sector to be our focus, says Union Labour Minister

Santosh Gangwar, reappointed as the Union Minister for Labour and Enterprises, said that the new Cabinet would take up the issues of the unorganised sector in its first ever meeting.

New Delhi: Looking ahead to the first meeting of the new Union Cabinet, Minister of State for Labour and Enterprises, Santosh Gangwar, on Friday said that the welfare of unorganised workers would be one of the topmost points of discussion for the re-elected Modi government.

Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Gangwar, who was reallocated the charge of the Labour Minsitry, said that among all governments, only the BJP-led NDA government focused on the Unorganised sector.

"According to the law, our ministry is supposed to only look after units which employ more than 20 people. However, the reality is that the majority of India's workforce, close to 40 crore people work in the unorganised sector," he said.

"However, after the NDA government came in power, we turned the focus towards the unorganised sector. We are trying to give the workers the right direction," he added.

Gangwar asserted that the unorganised sector was the government's priority and the issue would be taken up in the first Cabinet meet itself. "During our first stint, one of our achievements was giving unorganised workers pension of Rs 3,000 per month. Even in the first cabinet meeting later today, we will discuss the very same issue. This is our priority, and it s hows our concern towards people and real issues," he said.

Brushing aside Opposition speculation that good schemes would only be introduced in BJP-ruled states, he said, "If a scheme is good, naturally all states would like to implement it. Workers everywhere will want it to be implemented. Even if our government is not in power, and the worker wants a specific scheme, the government in power will have to implement it."

"Our schemes are not formulated according to the government, but according to the needs of workers," he added.

Attributing the NDA's success in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, where it came back to power with a thumping majority, Gangwar said, "In 2014, citizens were expecting positive change in the entire country like Modi did in Gujarat. The Prime Minister has stood up to all the expectations, and that is why people voted him to power with an even bigger majority for the second time."

"For the first time in India's history, citizens gave a positive vote. In the past, they always gave negative votes," he added.

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