Recent interventions in Parliament have brought attention to a series of problems that directly affect ordinary Indian citizens problems that are small in appearance but massive in impact on daily life. These are not business concerns or corporate grievances. These are public interest issues that touch Food safety, Mobile connectivity, Workers dignity and Consumer rights.
The concerns raised point to a growing gap between systems designed for profit and the real needs of citizens who depend on those systems for survival and security.
Citizens, Not Corporates, at the Centre
Among the most pressing issues is the treatment of gig workers and delivery agents who work long hours for extremely low pay. India’s digital economy cannot be built on exhaustion and exploitation. If workers are delivering food and essential services, their lives and incomes must be protected with clear labour safeguards.
Another issue that strikes directly at the public is food adulteration. Unsafe food does not discriminate between rich and poor. It enters Homes, Schools and Hospitals. Weak enforcement and lack of strict penalties endanger millions of families every day. This is not a market issue it is a public health emergency.
Connectivity Is a Right, Not a Privilege
The blocking of incoming calls when prepaid plans expire is another example of systems built for revenue, not convenience. For students, Daily wage workers and Elderly citizens, Mobile connectivity is essential for banking OTPs, medical emergencies and government services. Cutting off incoming calls turns a basic utility into a punishment for financial hardship.
Telecom services today are not luxury items. They are lifelines. Policies must reflect this reality.
Democracy Needs Accountability
The proposal for greater accountability of elected representatives also reflects citizen frustration. People vote every five years, but have no remedy when leaders stop working for them. Mechanisms that increase accountability strengthen democracy, not weaken it.
Small Issues, Big Consequences
Each of these issues may appear minor in isolation. Together, they reveal a pattern:
systems that work efficiently for companies but inefficiently for citizens.
When food is unsafe, when calls are blocked, when workers are underpaid and when leaders escape accountability, it is the common Indian who suffers not corporations.
Call for Government and Public Sector Action
These are not problems that require long term theories or foreign models. They require:
- Stronger consumer protection
- Fair labour rules
- Strict food safety enforcement
- Citizen-first telecom policies
- Accountability in governance
Government action is urgently needed. Public sector bodies and private companies must be instructed to make necessary changes in systems that hurt ordinary people.
Representation That Reflects Reality
What makes these issues important is not their size, but their relevance. They reflect how citizens actually live earning daily wages, buying food, depending on mobile phones and trusting public systems.
India needs representation that speaks this language. Representation that does not defend business convenience over citizen welfare. Representation that understands that governance is not about markets alone, but about human lives.
These are not political slogans.
These are survival issues.
And when such concerns are raised in Parliament, they deserve not just applause they deserve action.
