Larsen and Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan sparked another row on Tuesday by saying that construction labourers are not willing to work due to the availability of welfare schemes and comfort. Talking about the labour shortages in the construction industry, Subrahmanyan said that while the rest of the world grapples with large numbers of migrants, India has a peculiar problem of people unwilling to move to work. "For the nation to grow, building infrastructure like roads and power plants is key but getting difficult because of labour shortage," he added. 'MGNREGA-like schemes affect labour mobilisation' Mr Subrahmanyan, while speaking at the CII's Mystic South Global Linkages Summit 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday said that schemes like MGNREGA, direct benefit transfers and JAN DHAN accounts likely affect labour mobilisation. He highlighted the need to adjust workers' wages according to inflation, noting that the Middle East attracts workers by offering salaries 3 to 3.5 times higher than what they earn in India.​​​​​ “When I joined LT as a graduate engineer, my boss said if you are from Chennai, you go to Delhi and work. But today, if I ask a person from Chennai to work out of Delhi, he says bye. It’s a different world of work today, and we have to see how to make HR policies flexible,” said Subrahmanyan. 90-hour work week controversy Earlier, LT's Subrahmanyan faced a public outcry after his 90-hour work week remark. LT Chairman said last month that he wants his employees to work on Sundays too. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working," he had said, adding that he works on Sundays too. Industry leaders including Adar Poonawalla, Anand Mahindra, and ITC's Sanjiv Puri emphasized the importance of work-life balance for productivity during the debate. The issue gained national attention when the government clarified in Parliament last week that there were no plans to extend weekly working hours to 70 or 90 hours.Original Article