Lok Sabha Question No. 2168 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-14
Subject: Increase in Rural Wages
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kotha Prabhakar  Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2168 ANSWERED ON 14/03/2023

## INCREASE IN RURAL WAGES

## 2168.   SHRI  KOTHA PRABHAKAR REDDY:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been nominal increase in rural wages but when calculated against the rate of inflation, the real rural wages have had a negative growth; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the corrective steps being taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)  &  (b):   As  per  the  information  shared  by  Labour  Bureau,  Ministry  of  Labour  & Employment,  the  Labour  Bureau  compiles  and  maintains  average  daily  wage  rate  data  in respect  of  selected  agricultural  and  non-agricultural  occupations  on  the  basis  of  the  data collected  by  the  Field  Operation  Division  (FOD)  of  National  Statistical  Office  (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation from a fixed set of 600 sample villages spread over 20 States.

Month-wise average daily wage rate in respect of Non-Agricultural Occupation along with the Consumer Price Index for Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) from January 2017 to 2022 is given at Annexure-I.

As  per  Section  6  (1)  of  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 2005, the Central Government may by notification specify the wage  rate  for  unskilled  work  for  its  beneficiaries.  Accordingly,  the  Ministry  of  Rural Development  notifies  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  wage  rate  for  every  financial  year  for States/UTs.  To  compensate  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  workers  against  inflation,  the Ministry of Rural Development revises the wage rate every financial year based on change in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL). If the calculated wage rate of any  State  is  coming  lower  than  the  wage  rate  of  the  previous  financial  year,  it  is  being protected  by  maintaining  the  previous  financial  year's  wage  rate.  The  revised  wage  rate  is made  applicable  from  1st  April  of  each  financial  year.  However,  State  Governments  can provide  wages  over  and  above  the  wage  rate  notified  by  the  Central  Government  under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.

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## Annexure-I referred in reply to parts (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2168 dated 14.03.2023

Month-wise average daily wage rates in respect of Non-Agricultural Occupation along with  Consumer  Price  Index  for  Rural  Labourers  (CPI-RL)  from  January  2017  to December, 2022.

|   December, Year | 2022. Month   |   Wage Rate |   CPI-RL | Year   | Month     | Wage Rate   |   CPI-RL |
|------------------|---------------|-------------|----------|--------|-----------|-------------|----------|
|             2017 | January       |      266.38 |      876 | 2018   | January   | 277.31      |      901 |
|             2017 | February      |      267.67 |      874 |        | February  | 278.03      |      896 |
|             2017 | March         |      268.23 |      872 |        | March     | 278.94      |      894 |
|             2017 | April         |      268.89 |      876 |        | April     | 279.20      |      896 |
|             2017 | May           |      269.05 |      878 |        | May       | 279.82      |      899 |
|             2017 | June          |      270.03 |      884 |        | June      | 280.92      |      902 |
|             2017 | July          |      271.04 |      890 |        | July      | 282.05      |      910 |
|             2017 | August        |      272.61 |      900 |        | August    | 284.49      |      915 |
|             2017 | September     |      273.73 |      899 |        | September | 285.20      |      917 |
|             2017 | October       |      274.85 |      907 |        | October   | 285.24      |      920 |
|             2017 | November      |      275.86 |      910 |        | November  | 286.00      |      921 |
|             2017 | December      |      275.72 |      906 |        | December  | 287.27      |      921 |
|             2019 | January       |      288.71 |      923 |        | January   | 296.63      |     1021 |
|             2019 | February      |      288.95 |      925 |        | February  | 297.29      |     1016 |
|             2019 | March         |      289.43 |      932 |        | March     | 297.25      |     1013 |
|             2019 | April         |      289.96 |      939 |        | *April    | -           |     1019 |
|             2019 | May           |      291.2  |      948 |        | May       | 319.47      |     1025 |
|             2019 | June          |      291.82 |      957 |        | June      | 319.23      |     1024 |
|             2019 | July          |      292.08 |      965 | 2020   | July      | 320.99      |     1028 |
|             2019 | August        |      293.22 |      972 |        | August    | 316.04      |     1033 |
|             2019 | September     |      293.29 |      983 |        | September | 310.88      |     1043 |
|             2019 | October       |      294.09 |      993 |        | October   | 311.37      |     1057 |
|             2019 | November      |      294.62 |     1006 |        | November  | 311.01      |     1065 |
|             2019 | December      |      295.03 |     1019 |        | December  | 311.92      |     1053 |
|             2021 | January       |      313.69 |     1045 |        | January   | 331.54      |     1105 |
|             2021 | February      |      316    |     1044 |        | February  | 335.34      |     1106 |
|             2021 | March         |      317.62 |     1043 |        | March     | 337.41      |     1109 |
|             2021 | April         |      318.43 |     1049 |        | *April    | 339.54      |     1119 |
|             2021 | May           |      320.18 |     1057 |        | May       | 340.79      |     1131 |
|             2021 | June          |      320.22 |     1065 | 2022   | June      | 342.51      |     1137 |
|             2021 | July          |      322.6  |     1070 |        | July      | 344.58      |     1143 |
|             2021 | August        |      323.35 |     1074 |        | August    | 346.20      |     1152 |
|             2021 | September     |      325.58 |     1076 |        | September | 347.23      |     1161 |
|             2021 | October       |      327.08 |     1090 |        | October   | 349.68      |     1170 |
|             2021 | November      |      327.68 |     1101 |        | November  | 350.93      |     1178 |
|             2021 | December      |      329.26 |     1106 |        | December  | 351.41      |     1179 |

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