Demanding a national minimum wage policy for 45 crore people under the unorganised sector, activist Swami Agnivesh today said he will launch a nationwide campaign starting tomorrow in Chhattisgarh.
"On the occasion of May Day, we will start the campaign from from Basana town near Raipur in Chhattisgarh where the World Council of Arya Samaj emancipated 4,000 bonded labourers 25 years ago," Agnivesh told reporters here.
The campaign's second phase will be launched from socialist leader Jai Prakash Narain's birthplace at Sitabdiara in Bihar from May 7.
"We will be campaigning for a national minimum wage equivalent to one-day salary of a class IV employee in government service, i.E. Minimum Rs 500," he said.
Agnivesh said workers insist on a national policy on minimum wages because different states have different minimum wages, which does not serve the idea of equality.
Supporting the demand for rights of farmers in the country, he said, "when the support price for crops is decided, the government should keep in mind the efforts of the farmers too and they should be treated at par with Class III employees in government service which entitles them to minimum wages of Rs 1,000 per day."
The other issues that will be raised during the campaign include combating alcoholism, pornography and meat consumption, Agnivesh said.
"Making strict laws and demanding capital punishment for the culprits will lead us no where as the root cause of these cases lies in the society's sick mentality which is due to the psychological influence of vices like alcohol, meat, drugs and pornography," he said.
Earlier there have been efforts to ban alcohol in states like Haryana and Andhra Pradesh but the orders had to be lifted due to increase in smuggling of alcohol, Agnivesh said. Therefore, he said, the National Prohibition Policy stated in the Constitution should be enforced strictly.
He claimed the government is against the prohibition of alcohol production because of the revenue factor.
The campaign will also demand strict legal action against pornography, Agnivesh said. "According to a report, Delhi is the largest consumer of pornography while India stands at third position. The results are in front of us regarding how these vices have had a psychological impact on our society."
"Rape cases and other crimes will automatically come down in the society if we start discarding these vices. We cannot blame a single person for any crime. The society, as a whole, is responsible," he said.
