Lok Sabha Question No. 305 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-05
Subject: Awareness about Government Schemes
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Kuruva Gorantla Madhav

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 305

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2024

## AWARENESS ABOUT GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

305.  SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV:

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

- (a)whether the Government has made any compaign to spread the awareness  of  Government  supported  schemes  for  daily  wage workers,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  including  the  expenditure incurred on such programmes;
- (b)whether  the  Government  proposes  to  make  a  uniform  minimum
- daily wage across the country; and
- (c)the criteria for deciding the minimum wages and the time limit for
- its revision?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c): As  per  the Unorganised  Workers'  Social  Security  Act, 2008, the Government is mandated to provide Social Security to the workers  of  unorganized  sector  including  daily  wage  workers  by formulating suitable welfare schemes on matters relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection etc. The details of the social security schemes available for unorganised sector workers including daily wage workers are as follow:
- (i)  Life  and  Disability  cover  is  provided  through  Pradhan  Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
- (ii) The health and maternity benefits are insured through Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). It provides health  insurance  coverage  upto  Rs.  5.00  lakhs  per  family  for secondary and tertiary care related hospitalization.

(iii)  Old  age  protection  is  provided    through  Pradhan Mantri  Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Yojana (PM-SYM) in the form of  monthly pension of Rs. 3000/- after attaining the age of 60 years to unorganized workers.

Apart from above, other schemes such as Public Distribution  System  through  One  Nation  One  Ration  Card  scheme under National Food Security Act, Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment  Guarantee  Act,  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyay  Gramin  Kausal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Rojgar  Yojana,  Mahatma  Gandhi  Bunkar  Bima  Yojana,  Deen  Dayal Antyodaya  Yojana,  PMSVANidhi,  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas Yojana  etc.  are  also  available  for  the  unorganized  sector  workers including daily wage workers depending upon their eligibility criteria.

Provision of minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 provides for cost of living allowance as a component of minimum wages. Accordingly, the Central Government revises the cost  of  living  allowance  called  as  Variable  Dearness  Allowance (V.D.A) on basic rates of minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, every six months effective from 1st April and 1st October every  year  on  the  basis  of  Consumer  Price  Index  for  Industrial workers to protect the minimum wages against inflation. Recently the provisions  of  the  Minimum  Wages  Act,  1948,  have  been rationalized and subsumed under the Code on Wages, 2019 and the components of minimum wages stipulated therein also provide for cost of living allowance. Further, the Code makes minimum wages universally  applicable  across  employments  and  thus  moves  ahead from restrictive applicability of minimum wages limited to scheduled employments as provided for under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

The provision under the code are yet to come into force. *****