UP Hikes Wages as Noida Protests Intensify Over Pay, Pakistan Link Claims
UP Hikes Wages as Noida Protests Intensify Over Pay, Pakistan Link Claims
Noida protests over wages prompt an interim hike by UP government, while authorities claim external links and misinformation behind the turmoil.
The Uttar Pradesh government announced an interim hike in minimum wages for factory workers in Noida and across categories, effective from April 1. Unskilled workers will now earn ₹13,690, up from ₹11,313; semi-skilled workers ₹15,059, up from ₹12,445; and skilled workers ₹16,868, up from ₹13,940. Protesters, however, say the raise does not meet their demand of ₹20,000 for even the skilled category, and demonstrations continued alongside the announcement.
During a late-night review in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath framed the unrest within a broader security context, suggesting that while Naxalism is waning, attempts to revive it could be part of a larger conspiracy. He urged authorities to identify anyone posing as labour representatives. Labour minister Anil Rajbhar added that arrests were made in Noida and Meerut of four suspects linked to handlers in Pakistan, implying foreign influence behind the protests. He also noted that social media accounts and WhatsApp groups had been created in the days leading up to the turmoil to mislead protesters. FIRs were filed against two X handles, and around 50 suspected bot accounts have been identified.
Opposition leaders offered a different view. Akhilesh Yadav accused the government of defaming workers by connecting their movement to Naxalism and questioned what the administration had achieved in the past decade that led to such protests. He also questioned whether the state’s intelligence apparatus had been diverted to other political campaigns rather than monitoring the Noida unrest. Rahul Gandhi weighed in in a post online, framing the crisis in the broader context of rising living costs.
Despite the wage increase, the government’s framing of the protests as potentially externally instigated and linked to anti-national activity has kept the atmosphere tense. Workers continue to push for higher pay and better conditions, while authorities promise vigilance against misinformation and deliberate destabilization.
