Lok Sabha Question No. 2126 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-09
Subject: Regional Disparities in Minimum Wage
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Ranjan, Dr. Mohammad Jawed, Smt. Jyotsna Charandas Mahant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2126 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2024

## REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN MINIMUM WAGE

2126. DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED: SMT. JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT: SHRI RAJESH RANJAN:

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

- (a)the details of minimum wage for various types of workers in the country during the last five years, State-wise;
- (b)the  manner  in  which  the  Government  propose  to  overcome  the significant  regional  disparities  in  minimum  wage  across  the country; and
- (c)the  details  of  steps  that  Government  is  taking  to  enhance  the capacity of state-level wage boards and ensure that minimum wage revisions are conducted in a timely and evidence-based manner?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (c): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act 1948, the Central  Government  and  the  State  Governments,  as  appropriate Government,  fix,  review  and  revise  the  minimum  wages  of  the employees  employed  in  the  Scheduled  employments  under  their respective jurisdictions. Accordingly, the minimum rates of wages in the Scheduled employments in the Central sphere were revised by the Central Government in 2017. Further, in order to take care of the rising prices, the Central Government revises the Variable Dearness Allowance  (V.D.A)  on  basic  rates  of  minimum  wages  every  six months, effective from 1st April and 1st October of every year on the basis of Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers. Latest V.D.A. as applicable from 01.10.2024 is at Annexure.

The provisions of the Minimum Wages Act 1948 empower both  the  Central  Government  and  the  State  Governments,  as appropriate Governments, to fix, periodically review, and revise the minimum wages of employees employed in the Scheduled Employments  under  their  respective  jurisdictions.  The  minimum wage rates are, therefore, determined and revised according to the specific needs and economic conditions of each region, which results in variations across different States and sectors.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2126 for 09.12.2024.

## Area wise Rates of Minimum Wages for Scheduled Employments in the Central Sphere (as on 01.10.2024)

| Sr. No.   | Scheduled Employment                     | Category of Workers                                                                       | Rates of Wages including V.D.A per day (in Rs.)                                           | Rates of Wages including V.D.A per day (in Rs.)                                           | Rates of Wages including V.D.A per day (in Rs.)                                           |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|           |                                          |                                                                                           | Area A                                                                                    | Area B                                                                                    | Area C                                                                                    |
| 1.        | Agriculture                              | Unskilled                                                                                 | 500                                                                                       | 457                                                                                       | 452                                                                                       |
| 1.        | Agriculture                              | Semi- skilled/Unskilled Supervisory                                                       | 546                                                                                       | 502                                                                                       | 462                                                                                       |
| 1.        | Agriculture                              | Skilled/Clerical                                                                          | 593                                                                                       | 546                                                                                       | 501                                                                                       |
| 1.        | Agriculture                              | Highly-skilled                                                                            | 656                                                                                       | 611                                                                                       | 546                                                                                       |
| 2.        | Sweeping and Cleaning +                  | Unskilled                                                                                 | 783                                                                                       | 655                                                                                       | 526                                                                                       |
| 3.        | Watch and Ward                           | Without Arms (Upgraded to skilled with training)                                          | 954                                                                                       | 868                                                                                       | 739                                                                                       |
| 3.        | Watch and Ward                           | With Arms (Upgraded to highly skilled for supervision)                                    | 1035                                                                                      | 954                                                                                       | 868                                                                                       |
| 4.        | Loading & Unloading #                    | Unskilled                                                                                 | 783                                                                                       | 655                                                                                       | 526                                                                                       |
| 5.        | Construction ^                           | Unskilled                                                                                 | 783                                                                                       | 655                                                                                       | 526                                                                                       |
| 5.        | Construction ^                           | Semi- skilled/Unskilled Supervisory                                                       | 868                                                                                       | 739                                                                                       | 614                                                                                       |
| 5.        | Construction ^                           | Skilled/Clerical                                                                          | 954                                                                                       | 868                                                                                       | 739                                                                                       |
| 5.        | Construction ^                           | Highly-skilled                                                                            | 1035                                                                                      | 954                                                                                       | 868                                                                                       |
| 6.        | Workers engaged in Stone Mines for Stone | 1.Excavation &removal of over burden with 50 meters lead/1.5 meters lift:*                | 1.Excavation &removal of over burden with 50 meters lead/1.5 meters lift:*                | 1.Excavation &removal of over burden with 50 meters lead/1.5 meters lift:*                | 1.Excavation &removal of over burden with 50 meters lead/1.5 meters lift:*                |
| 6.        |                                          | (a) Soft Soil                                                                             |                                                                                           | 530                                                                                       |                                                                                           |
| 6.        |                                          | (b) Soft Soil with Rock                                                                   |                                                                                           | 795                                                                                       |                                                                                           |
| 6.        | Breaking                                 | (c) Rock                                                                                  |                                                                                           | 1053                                                                                      |                                                                                           |
| 6.        | and Stone Crushing                       | 2. Removal and Staking of rejected stones with 50 metres                                  | 2. Removal and Staking of rejected stones with 50 metres                                  | 426                                                                                       |                                                                                           |
| 6.        |                                          | lead/1.5metres lift* 3. Stone breaking or Stone Crushing for the stone size of category** | lead/1.5metres lift* 3. Stone breaking or Stone Crushing for the stone size of category** | lead/1.5metres lift* 3. Stone breaking or Stone Crushing for the stone size of category** | lead/1.5metres lift* 3. Stone breaking or Stone Crushing for the stone size of category** |
| 6.        |                                          | (a) 1.0 inch to 1.5 inches                                                                |                                                                                           | 3232                                                                                      |                                                                                           |
| 6.        |                                          | (b) Above 1.5 Inches to 3.0 Inches                                                        |                                                                                           | 2764                                                                                      |                                                                                           |
| 6.        | (c) Above 3.0                            | Inches                                                                                    | to 5 Inches                                                                               | 1623                                                                                      |                                                                                           |
| 6.        |                                          | (d) Above 5.0 Inches                                                                      |                                                                                           | 1334                                                                                      |                                                                                           |
| 7.        | Non-coal Mines $                         |                                                                                           |                                                                                           | Above Ground {Rates of Wages including V.D.A per day (in Rs.)}                            | Below Ground {Rates of Wages including                                                    |

|                                    |     |   V.D.A per day (in Rs.)} |
|------------------------------------|-----|---------------------------|
| Unskilled                          | 526 |                       655 |
| Semi-skilled/Unskilled Supervisory | 655 |                       783 |
| Skilled/Clerical                   | 783 |                       912 |
| Highly-skilled                     | 912 |                      1020 |

+ Employees engaged in the employment of Sweeping and Cleaning excluding Activities prohibited under the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.
- # Employees engaged in the employment of Loading and Unloading in (i) Goods Sheds, Parcel Offices of Railways; (ii) Other Goods Sheds, Godowns, Warehouses and other similar employments; (iii) Docks and  Ports;  and  (iv)  Passengers  Goods  and  Cargo  Carried  out  at  Airports  (Both  International  and Domestic).
- ^ Employees engaged in the employment of construction or maintenance of Roads or Runways or in Building  Operations  including  laying  down  Underground  Electric,  Wireless,  Radio,  Television, Telephone, Telegraph and Overseas Communication Cables and similar other Underground Cabling Work, Electric Lines, Water Supply Lines and Sewerage Pipe Lines.
- $ Employees  engaged  in  the  employment  of  Gypsum  Mines,  Barytes  Mines,  Bauxite  Mines, Manganese Mines, China Clay Mines, Kyanite Mines, Copper Mines, Clay Mines, Magnesite Mines, White Clay Mines, Stone Mines, Steatite Mines (including the mines producing Soap Stones and Talc), Ochre Mines, Asbestos Mines, Fire Clay Mines, Chromite Mines, Quartzite Mines, Quartz Mines, Silica Mines, Graphite Mines, Felspar Mines, Laterite Mines, Dolomite Mines, Red Oxide Mines, Wolfram Mines, Iron Ore Mines, Granite Mines, Rock Phosphate Mines, Hematite Mines, Marble and Calcite Mines, Uranium Mines, Mica Mines, Lignite Mines, Gravel Mines, Slate and Magnetite Mines.

(Contd/-)

## Classification of Area

| AREA - 'A'        | AREA - 'A'   | AREA - 'A'           | AREA - 'A'   | AREA - 'A'        | AREA - 'A'   |
|-------------------|--------------|----------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------|
| Ahmedabad         | (UA)         | Hyderabad            | (UA)         | Faridabad complex |              |
| Bangaluru         | (UA)         | Kanpur               | (UA)         | Ghaziabad         |              |
| Kolkata           | (UA)         | Lucknow              | (UA)         | Gurgaon           |              |
| Delhi             | (UA)         | Chennai              | (UA)         | Noida             |              |
| Greater Mumbai    | (UA)         | Nagpur               | (UA)         | Secunderabad      |              |
| Navi Mumbai       |              | Pune                 | (UA)         |                   |              |
| AREA - 'B'        | AREA - 'B'   | AREA - 'B'           | AREA - 'B'   | AREA - 'B'        | AREA - 'B'   |
| Agra              | (UA)         | Gwalior              | (UA)         | Port Blair        | (UA)         |
| Ajmer             | (UA)         | Hubli-Dharwad        | (M. Corpn)   | Puducherry        | (UA)         |
| Aligarh           | (UA)         | Indore               | (UA)         | Raipur            | (UA)         |
| Allahabad         | (UA)         | Jabalpur             | (UA)         | Raurkela          | (UA)         |
| Amravati          | (M.Corpn)    | Jaipur               | (M.Corpn)    | Rajkot            | (UA)         |
| Amritsar          | (UA)         | Jalandhar            | (UA)         | Ranchi            | (UA)         |
| Asansol           | (UA)         | Jalandhar-Cantt.     | (UA)         | Saharanpur        | (M.Corpn)    |
| Aurangabad        | (UA)         | Jammu                | (UA)         | Salem             | (UA)         |
| Bareilly          | (UA)         | Jamnagar             | (UA)         | Sangli            | (UA)         |
| Belgaum           | (UA)         | Jamshedpur           | (UA)         | Shillong          |              |
| Bhavnagar         | (UA)         | Jhansi               | (UA)         | Siliguri          | (UA)         |
| Bhiwandi          | (UA)         | Jodhpur              | (UA)         | Solapur           | (M.Corpn)    |
| Bhopal            | (UA)         | Kannur               | (UA)         | Srinagar          | (UA)         |
| Bhubaneshwar      | (UA)         | Kochi                | (UA)         | Surat             | (UA)         |
| Bikaner           | (M.Corpn)    | Kolhapur             | (UA)         | Thiruvanantapuram | (UA)         |
| Bokaro Steel City | (UA)         | Kollam               | (UA)         | Thrissur          | (UA)         |
| Chandigarh        | (UA)         | Kota                 | (M.Corpn)    | Tiruchirappalli   | (UA)         |
| Coimbatore        | (UA)         | Kozhikode            | (UA)         | Tiruppur          | (UA)         |
| Cuttack           | (UA)         | Ludhiana             | (M.Corpn)    | Ujjain            | (M.Corpn)    |
| Dehradun          | (UA)         | Madurai              | (UA)         | Vadodara          | (UA)         |
| Dhanbad           | (UA)         | Malappuram           | (UA)         | Varanasi          | (UA)         |
| Durgapur          | (UA)         | Malegaon             | (UA)         | Vasai- Virar City | (M.Corpn)    |
| Durg-Bhilai Nagar | (UA)         | Mangalore            | (UA)         | Vijayawada        | (UA)         |
| Erode             | (UA)         | Meerut               | (UA)         | Vishakhapatnam    | (M.Corpn)    |
| Firozabad         |              | Moradabad            | (M. Corpn)   | Warangal          | (UA)         |
| Goa               |              | Mysore               | (UA)         | Gorakhpur         | (UA)         |
| NandedWaghala     | (M. Corpn)   | GreaterVisakhapatnam | (M.Corpn)    | Nasik             | (UA)         |
| Gulbarga          | (UA)         | Nellore              | (UA)         | Guntur            | (UA)         |
| Panchkula         | (UA)         | Guwahati             | (UA)         | Patna             | (UA)         |

Area 'C' will comprise all areas not mentioned in this list.

NB : U.A. stands for Urban Agglomeration.

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