Lok Sabha Question No. 386 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-05
Subject: Minimum Wages to Construction Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Faizal P.P. Mohammed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 386

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2024

## MINIMUM WAGES TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

386.  SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.:

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

- (a)whether it is a fact that more than 87% construction workers are
- not receiving minimum wages in the country;
- (b)if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c)whether  the  Government  has  any  plan  to  make  insurance  for construction workers mandatory, considering the high health and safety risks associated with their job; and (d)if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) & (b): Under  the  provisions  of  the  Minimum  Wages  Act,  1948, both  the  Central  Government  and  the  State  Governments  are appropriate  Governments  to  fix,  review  and  revise  the  minimum wages of the employees employed in the scheduled employments under their respective jurisdictions.

Both the Central Government and the State Governments are  the  appropriate  Governments  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, and  the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, including the provisions relating to non-payment of wages/minimum wages,  in  their  respective  jurisdictions.  In  the  Central  sphere  the enforcement  is  done  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 designated inspecting officers conduct regular inspections and in the event of detection of any case of non-payment or underpayment of wages/minimum wages, they direct the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of noncompliance,  penal  provisions  prescribed  under  Section  22  of  the Minimum Wages Act are taken recourse to.

(c) & (d): A Model Welfare Scheme for Building and other Construction  (BOC)  Workers  and  Action  Plan  for  strengthening Implementation  Machinery  have  already  been  forwarded  to  all States/UTs,  wherein  the  State  /  UT  Governments  through  their State/UT BOCW Welfare Boards were entrusted upon to comply with the Scheme for the welfare of the construction workers and asking the State Welfare Boards to formulate and implement these kind of welfare  schemes including in  respect  of  Life  and  disability  cover, health and maternity cover, education of the wards of the workers, transit housing, skill development, awareness programs and pension to registered BOC workers.

Further,  several  instructions  under  Section  60  of  the BOCW(RE&CS) Act, 1996 have also been issued from time to time to State/UT BOCW Welfare Boards for implementation of the provisions of the Act and for optimum utilization of the cess funds for the social security & other welfare measures of the BOC workers which include the  benefits  of  welfare  schemes  of  the  State  Welfare  Boards  and social security schemes of the Central/State Governments like Health Insurance  Scheme  through  PM-JAY  (Ayushman  Bharat),  Life  and Disability Cover through PM-Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM-Suraksha Bima Yojana and Life-long Pension after 60 years through PM-Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana and subsistence allowance during unemployment, illness, epidemics, natural calamities by using cess fund collected for the welfare of BOC workers.

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