Lok Sabha Question No. 152 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-18
Subject: Minimum Wages in Unorganised Sector
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Ajay Nishad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 152 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.11.2019

## MINIMUM WAGES IN UNORGANISED SECTOR

†152. SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether the Government has revised minimum wages of all workers working in unorganised and agriculture sectors;
- (b)if so, the details thereof;
- (c)whether  there  is  any  mechanism  in  place  to  ensure  payment  of minimum wages fixed by the Government to the labourers/workers;
- (d)if so, the details thereof;
- (e)whether  any  complaints  have  been  received  regarding  cases  of negligence in this regard; and
- (f)if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard? ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 was enacted to safeguard the interests of the workers mostly in the unorganised sector. Under the provision of the Act, both the Central Government and the State Governments are  the  appropriate  governments  to  fix,  revise,  review and  enforce  the  rate  of  minimum  wages  to  workers  in  respect  of scheduled  employments  under  their  respective  jurisdictions.  The Government has notified increase in the basic rate of minimum wages for scheduled employments in the Central sphere w.e.f. 19.01.2017.

(c) to (f): The  Minimum  Wages  Act,  1948  is  implemented  by  the Centre as well as the States in respect of their respective jurisdiction. 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),  the  compliance  in  the  State  sphere  is  ensured  through  the State Enforcement Machinery. They conduct regular inspections and in the event of detection of any case of non-payment or under-payment of minimum wages, they advise the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of non-compliance, penal provisions against the defaulting employers are invoked. The details of action taken is at Annexure-I.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  TO  (f)  OF  LOK  SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 152 FOR 18.11.2019 BY SHRI AJAY NISHAD REGARDING MINIMUM WAGES IN UNORGANISED SECTOR

## Minimum Wages Act, 1948

|   S.No. | Particulars                    |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 Upto September, 2019 |
|---------|--------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------------------------------|
|       1 | No. of Inspections Conducted   |      9151 |      9187 |      8327 |                           3564 |
|       2 | No. of Irregularities detected |     61689 |     77399 |     61489 |                          32465 |
|       3 | No. Irregularities Rectified   |     53255 |     39620 |     34465 |                          12186 |
|       4 | No. of Prosecutions Launched   |      2321 |      1651 |      2081 |                            975 |
|       5 | No. of Convictions             |      1951 |      2205 |       651 |                            226 |

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