Lucknow, September 19: Samajwadi Party president and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday called for urgent policy reforms to address the issue of work-related stress, emphasising that progress will only be possible when the mental health of the country is good.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also took note of the recent death due to alleged extreme work pressure and stress of a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant working at a prominent corporate firm in Pune. EY India Statement on Anna Sebastian Perayil’s Death: Irreparable Loss for All of Us, Says Ernst & Young on Demise of Young CA Due to Alleged Work Pressure.

Yadav stressed that a healthy mental state is essential for national progress and urged the government to reconsider its approach towards work, shifting from an emphasis on long hours to evaluating actual outcomes. In a long Hindi post on X, Yadav emphasised that a "balanced work-life ratio" is a standard for the development of any country. He said the challenges faced by employees are not isolated to one company or a government department but are prevalent across sectors.

"The government and the corporate world must view this letter as both a warning and a piece of advice," he asserted. The Kannauj MP noted that if working conditions are not conducive, performance and results will also suffer. He said it is crucial to improve economic conditions rather than merely focusing on rules and regulations. EY Pune Employee Anna Sebastian Perayil’s Death: Government Intervenes, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje Says Probe Into Allegations of Exploitative Work Environment Underway.

"Rising unemployment and declining demand, exacerbated by poor government policies and excessive taxation, have led to immense pressure on employees to deliver more despite dwindling resources," Yadav said. He stressed that the root cause of this stress is the failure of economic policies.

"Progress will only be possible when the mental health of the country is good. In this context, the government will first have to change its thinking and its ways of working, where the basis should not be the superficial measure of working the maximum number of hours but the result obtained in the end," he said in the post. Yadav also tagged federal ministries like corporate affairs and labour, besides the Indian Chamber of Commerce among others.