Work is not just an economic question. It is a matter of dignity, equity and democratic accountability. For millions of Indians in the informal economy, the absence of guaranteed, dignified employment is not a statistic — it is a daily struggle for survival.
Under the banner of "Ek Vote Ek Rozgar" — One Vote, One Employment — we have campaigned to link electoral accountability to employment guarantees. The idea is simple but powerful: if a vote can decide who governs, it should also secure the most basic promise a society can make to its citizens — the chance to earn a living with dignity.
The five demands
The campaign is anchored in five concrete, achievable demands that move the conversation from slogans to policy:
- A guarantee of minimum wages across all Indian states.
- Equal pay for equal work, regardless of employment type or contract status.
- Establishment of employment offices in every village to decentralise access to jobs.
- Implementation of monthly pensions for all elderly citizens.
- Expansion of employment guarantee programmes beyond rural areas to cover urban workers.
Employment is not just an economic issue — it is a matter of dignity, equity and democratic accountability.
From the street to the statehouse
Public platforms — rallies, media engagement and direct dialogue with workers — have kept these demands visible. The goal has never been confrontation for its own sake. It is to ensure that the people who build this nation, yet too often remain invisible, are seen, heard and protected.
Why it matters now
As work changes — gig platforms, contract labour, automation — the protections built for an earlier era no longer reach those who need them most. Recognising the right to work is how a fair society keeps its promise across changing times. It is, in the deepest sense, a matter of nation-building.
The campaign continues, because the question it raises is one no democracy can afford to leave unanswered: if not the right to work, then what do we owe one another?
