'Industry has no passion for hiring workers'

Batting for removal of rigidities in labour laws, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya on Friday said that he does not find passion for hiring workers and creating employment, among the industry.

“Where is the passion for hiring workers in the industry here?,” Panagariya said at the JRD Tata Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.

He said that the industry should lobby with the government to have a plan for employment generation.

The economist said that even in states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, where manufacturing has grown well, the labour-intensive industries have not seen the desired level of expansion. He gave examples of labour intensive industries like readymade garments, where India has been left behind by smaller countries.