SN Subrahmanyan, the Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is again at the centre of a controversial remark where he claimed that workers of India are not willing to relocate for work due to government beneficiary schemes which affects infrastructure development of the country. Speaking at the CII's Mystic South Global Linkages Summit 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday (Feb 11), Subrahmanyan said it is tough to get workers for the construction industry as they are reluctant to move away from their hometown and prefer their comfort zone. 

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Also read: 'Stare at someone else's wife...': L&T chairman's work '90 hours a week' remark sparks meme fest online

He blamed schemes like MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005) and money transfers through "Jan Dhan" account for the problem in labour mobilisation in the country. 

"Labour is not willing to move for opportunities. Maybe their local economy is doing well, maybe it is due to the various government schemes," Subrahmanyan said. 

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He further said that although his company requires four lakh workers, it is recruiting 16 lakh people citing India's problem of migration and attrition. 

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Subrahmanyan then advocated the need to raise the wages for labourers saying that Saudi Arabia is getting more workers from India as it offers 3.5 times more wage to them than their homeplace. 

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'How long can you stare at your wife?'

Also read: 'Besides being misogynistic...': Indian leader Priyanka Chaturvedi slams L&T chief's 'work 90 hrs a week' remark

Subrahmanyan's latest remark came after he was slammed on the internet for asking his employees to work for 90 hours a week and also on weekends, raising questions about the work-life balance of the employees. 

He even made outrageous remarks asking his employees in a meeting, "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working." 

Also read: L&T chairman asks employees to stop 'staring at their wives' at home and work 90 hours a week. Internet is not happy

Subrahmanyan made the viral comments when asked why was he making his employees work on Saturdays when his company was doing financially great. He replied that if it was in his hands, he would make them work on Sundays too. 

(With inputs from agencies)