Central government revises minimum wages for casual workers

The Centre said that it had revised minimum rate of wages for employees engaged in scheduled employment in the central sphere.
Central government revises minimum wages for casual workers

NEW DELHI:  The Centre said that it had revised minimum rate of wages for employees engaged in scheduled employment in the central sphere. In reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the government said that the percentage distribution of casual workers as per the periodic labour force survey showed 29.3 per cent workers in rural areas and 10.7 per cent in urban areas.

“Under Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the enforcement is secured at two levels. In the Central Sphere, the enforcement is secured through the inspecting officers of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) commonly designated as Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM) and the compliance in the State Sphere is ensured through the State Enforcement Machinery,” the government said in its reply and added that the DA given to these workers was revised according to the consumer price index and was last revised on April 1.

According to the revised rates, casual workers in agriculture would earn Rs 333 per day as against the Rs 237 per day in Area A, Rs 303 as against the Rs 216 in Area B and Rs 300 as against the Rs 214 in Area C. While urban agglomerations in cities like Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, etc fall under Area A, cities like Ajmer Agra, Hubli-Dharwad, etc fall in Area B while the remaining places are placed under Area C.

Similar raises have been given to workers engaged in sweeping and cleaning, watch and ward, loading and unloading, construction and non-coal mines. In what seemed to be a clarification for the Centre’s remarks that it had not complied data of migrant deaths, Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar on Wednesday said that the government has taken number of unprecedented steps for the welfare of workers during the pandemic.

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