Synopsis: The Economic Survey 2024-25 advocates for dismantling labour protections and regulatory oversight in pursuit of achieving “developed nation” status by 2047, framing worker safeguards as barriers to development and proposing longer workweeks beyond the current 48-hour limit. The policy vision aligns with advocacy by corporate leaders, while experts warn this growth-obsessed approach ignores the very purpose of development and could deepen inequality.
How many hours should Indian workers work every week for the country’s development? It may depend on who you ask. Since at least 2023, Infosys co-founder and billionaire Narayana Murthy has advocated for at least 70 hours.
Even a fierce backlash from experts and regular citizens has only made him dig in his heels further. He’s even found support among several fellow entrepreneurs and industrialists. Early this January, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan topped them all when he suggested 90-hour workweeks for his employees, among other comments, in a viral clip, inviting much derision.
Amidst all the farcical discourse, policymakers in Delhi appear to have taken note. The recently released Economic Survey 2024-25 presents a vision that gives such ideas policy backbone: a systematic dismantling of labour protections, wrapped in the same rhetoric Murthy and Subrahmanyan espouse — economic growth.
The Survey’s bureaucratic doublespeak about “economic freedom” and “deregulation” has one clear target:...
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