Lok Sabha Question No. 1315 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Steps to be due Exploitation of Industrial Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Harendra Singh Malik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1315 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025

## STEPS TO BE DUE EXPLOITATION OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS

1315. SHRI HARENDRA SINGH MALIK:

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

- (a)whether it is a fact that the cases of exploitation of workers and non-payment of minimum wages as per the Sugar Wage Board to workers employed in sugar mills and other local industries are not
- being monitored properly by the concerned Department;
- (b)if so, the details thereof along with the corrective steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)whether the Government is aware that the labourers are exploited and deprived of basic facilities by their employers; and
- (d)if so, the details thereof along with the corrective steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d): 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. The matter related to workers employed in sugar mills falls under the jurisdiction of respective State Governments/UTs.

Recently the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, have  been  rationalized  and  subsumed  under  the  Code  on  Wages, 2019. The Code makes minimum wages universally applicable across employments.

The  Unorganised  Workers'  Social  Security  Act  (UWSS), 2008  provides for, inter-alia, formulating welfare  schemes  for unorganised  workers  on  the  matters  relating  to  life  and  disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection etc.

Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  launched  the  eShram portal  (eshram.gov.in)  on  26th  August  2021  for  creation  of  a comprehensive  National  Database  of  the  Unorganised  Workers (NDUW), including migrant workers, seeded with Aadhaar. eShram portal is meant to register and support the unorganised workers by providing  them  a  Universal  Account  Number  (UAN)  on  a  selfdeclaration basis.

Further, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has also launched  the  eShram -'One -StopSolution'  on  21st  October  2024. eShram -'One -StopSolution'  entails  integration  of  different  Social Security/ Welfare schemes at single portal i.e., eShram. This enables unorganised  workers,  including migrant  workers registered on eShram,  to  access  13  social  security  schemes  and  see  benefits availed by them so far, through eShram;- including PMSBY, PMJJBY, Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- PMJAY), Prime  Minister  Street  Vendors  Atma  Nirbhar  Nidhi  (PM-SVANidhi), PMAY  (Urban  &  Rural),  NSAP -National  Family  Benefit  Scheme (NFBS),  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee Programme  (MGNREGA),  Pradhan  Mantri  Matsya  Sampada  Yojana (PMMSY)  and  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Samman  Nidhi  Scheme  (PM Kisan).

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