Mainstream WeeklyA wave of labour unrest swept across the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi in April 2026. Feelings of discontent among workers over issues of inadequate wages, rising cost of living, and inhospitable working conditions have been brewing under the surface from at least early February. Reports of sporadic, small-scale agitations have trickled in from Barauni (Bihar), Panipat (Haryana), Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh), and Surat (Gujarat).
The most recent spark to the spreading of the agitation seems to have come from protesting workers at a Manesar auto plant, which turned violent and had to be immediately repressed by Haryana police. Consequently, the Haryana state government announced an upward revision of minimum wages on April 9 from Rs 11,274 to Rs 15,220, for unskilled workers, and Rs 13,704 to Rs 18,500, for skilled workers