Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi while interacting with the representatives of labour unions, of both organised and unorganised sectors and street vendors, to seek their opinion for the party manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls said that seventy crore Indians - who are above poverty line but below the the middle class, should be brought into the middle class in the next 5-10 years,
The Congress Vice President told the labour representatives that he will push for the clearance of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill in the extended winter session of parliament next month. Rahul Gandhi also assured that he will push for the implementation of recommendations to empower the de-notified and nomadic tribes in India. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has enacted several rights-based legislations which have provided the vulnerable sections a platform to seek better remuneration, he informed.
Referring to the flag ship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), Rahul Gandhi said it provided a concrete surface to the poor sections and ended uncertainty related to income in their lives.
In his address at the All India Congress Committee meeting earlier this month also Rahul Gandhi had said a new class of about 70 crore people was emerging which was “just above the poverty line but below the middle class”. He said people in this category include labourers, security guards and painters, and they go down the poverty line the moment someone falls ill in their family and were struggling hard to provide education to their children.
During his interaction on Thursday the Congress leader said the 70 crore people “build the country” and the aim should be to bring them in the middle class in the next “5-10 years”. “The 70 crore people... if we want to put them in the middle class, that is what the aim should be... we have to provide a concrete surface beneath their feet. In 5-10 years, they should feel they are in the middle class,” said Rahul Gandhi. The 70 crore people should also be made aware of their rights in education and health, he added and assured that the Congress party will take the voice of labourers and workers to the state assemblies and Lok Sabha.
The participants gave their suggestions, including creating a national commission for labour, uniform wages to Anganwadi workers, social security for labourers in the unorganised sector, increase in pension and protection for women workers.
Rahul Gandhi also met aspirants of civil services examination and told them that he will take up their concerns about change in the pattern of the examination. Following the meeting, his office issued a statement saying he will take up their concerns. The Union Public Service Commission in 2013 excluded foreign languages from its curriculum. The move has affected thousands of students who opted for different languages as subjects in the exam. “Rahul Gandhi agreed with the students and said all aspects should have been taken into account before making a change. He said he will do everything he can on this issue,” the statement said.
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