Lok Sabha Question No. 2753 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-09
Subject: Welfare of Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri N K Premachandran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2753 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026

## WELFARE OF WORKERS

## 2753. SHRI N K PREMACHANDRAN:

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

- (a)whether the Government proposes to resolve the wage in equality;
- (b)if so, the action taken by the Government for regional and sectoral disparities and gender wage cap;
- (c)whether  the  Government  proposes  wage  rationalization,  equal remuneration enforcement and skill based wage sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)whether  the  Government  proposes  to  establish  an  efficient mechanism for implementation of occupational health and safety and if so, the action taken for ensuring safety and health of workers especially in construction and mining sectors;
- (e)whether the Government proposes to initiate action for the welfare
- of migrant workers and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f)whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  benefit  to  the workers those are registered at e-shram portal and if so, the details
- thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 have been rationalized  and  subsumed  under  the  Code  on  Wages  2019,  which have been made effective from 21.11.2025 with an aim to universalize the applicability of Minimum Wages across all employments and to ensure that there is no gender discrimination in respect of the same work or work of a similar nature done by any employee.

The  Code  on  Wages,  2019  empowers  both  Central  and State  Governments as appropriate governments to fix, review and revise  the  minimum  rates  of  wages  for  the  establishments  falling under their respective jurisdiction.

With  a  view  to  reduce  regional  and  sectoral  wage disparities,  the  Code  on  Wages,  2019  makes  the  floor  wage  as  a statutory provision. The Code stipulates that the minimum rates of wages fixed by the appropriate Governments shall not be less than the floor wage.

- (d) & (e): In order to safeguard the interests of the migrant workers, the Central Government had enacted the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1979. This Act has now been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health  and  Working  Conditions  (OSH)  Code  2020.  The  OSH  Code provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievance redressal  mechanisms,  protection  from  abuse  and  exploitation, enhancement  of  skills  and  social  security  to  all  categories  of workers, including construction and mining sector workers.
- (f): The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched eShram portal (eshram.gov.in) on  26 th August,  2021  for creation of a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW). The eShram portal registers the unorganised workers and provides them a Universal Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis.
- So far, fourteen (14) schemes of different Central Ministries/ Departments have already been integrated/ mapped with the  eShram  to  extend  benefits  and  access  to  social  security, insurance or skill development programmes to eShram cardholders including Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi),  Pradhan  Mantri  Suraksha  Bima  Yojana  (PMSBY), Pradhan  Mantri  Jeevan  Jyoti  Bima  Yojana  (PMJJBY),  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-G), Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Urban (PMAY-U), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY),  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Samman  Nidhi  (PM-KISAN),  One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana (PMMVY), etc.

Apart from the above, eShram has linkages with National Career Service (NCS) for Job Opportunities, Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) for Skill Development, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan

(PM-SYM) for Pension and convergence portal of MoHUA.

*****