-India Today The bulk of migrant workers, nearly 51 percent were engaged in the construction sector, including cutting and polishing of stone, painting and making tiles. About 21 percent of migrant labourers were found to be engaged in daily wage employment. Bhopal: A little more than half of the migrant labourers who have returned to Madhya Pradesh from various parts of the country do not want to return to their work places...

Even though the Central Government agreed to link the wages paid under MG-NREGA to the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPIAL), it shied away from paying statutory minimum wages in various states of India. Their logic for this: Lack of clarity on who will bear the extra financial burden—the Centre or the states? A letter from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to UPA and NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi dated 31...