40 years ago October 30, 1986: PM attacks labour, industry

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 30, 1986.

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 30, 1986.

2 min readOct 30, 2026 06:40 AM IST First published on: Oct 30, 2026 at 06:40 AM IST

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi blamed Indian labour and large industry for the stagnation and poor performance of the sector. Inaugurating a three-day national conference on “productivity through people in the age of changing technology” , he said unless the situation was corrected urgently, the country’s independence would be imperilled. “What we need is the will to do it.”

In Punjab, bid for unity

The Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, and the dissident Akali leaders, Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh, called on the Sikh head priests who recently initiated steps to bring about unity in the Akali Dal. While Barnala met the head priests at Anandpur Sahib in the morning, Badal, Amarinder Singh and some other dissident leaders called on them in the evening.

Law panel recommendations

The Law Commission has made far-reaching recommendations on “grassroot-level justice” and tax courts for the speedy disposal of cases. The Law Commission headed by Justice D A Desai, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, has submitted two reports to the government. Two more reports, on an all-India judicial service and training of judicial officers at all levels, are being given final touches by the Commission.

Technology cooperation

The US is willing to give India a prized technology for a modern quadruplex flight control system, avionics and other specific aspects of aircraft design. lt is willing to sell it for the manufacture of graphite composites, a modern material for aircraft design.