WE are a nation where almost 60% of workforce is still dependent on agriculture as their source of livelihood, yet whose contribution to national income is steadily declining. The industrial capital has, till date, failed to absorb the surplus labour from agriculture and from rural areas. It is only the ‘push' factor, triggered by the agrarian crisis, and not the ‘pull' factor that normally accompanies industrial growth – that is mainly responsible for large-scale migration of rural work force to urban areas in search of employment. Almost three decade-long implementation of globalisation and liberalization policies has resulted in the growth of gross inequality. The neoliberal economic policies have added few more billionaires in the country, but this has been at the expense of millions of poor becoming further poorer and starving.

A vast unorganized sector that contributes 65 percent of the GDP, employing more than 40 percent of the total population and comprising 93 percent of total workforce in the country is one major distinguishing feature of Indian capitalism. Though several legislations are fully or partially applicable to the workers in the unorganized sector, none of these is being properly implemented. They do not have any job protection or social welfare benefits.