New Delhi: The government is considering a proposal to amend
the Minimum Wages Act 1948, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
"The proposal to amend the Minimum Wages Act 1948 is under consideration,"
Labour and Employment Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the Lok Sabha in a
written reply.
Under the provisions of Minimum Wages Act 1948, both central and state
governments can fix, review and revise minimum wages of workers employed in the
scheduled employment under their respective jurisdiction, Tomar said.
The appropriate governments have been empowered to notify any employment in
the schedule where the number of employees is 1,000 or more in a state and fix
rates of minimum wages in respect to employees employed therein, he said.
The minister said that presently there are 45 scheduled employments under
central sphere and the workers employed in various mini cement plants and
petroleum products outlets are not included in the scheduled employment of
central sphere.
The rates of minimum wages fixed by central government are applicable to
establishments under its authority, railways administration, mines, oilfields,
major ports and corporations created under Acts of Parliament, he said.
In the unskilled section of agriculture sector, rates of wages including
Variable Dearness
Allowance per day with effect from April 1, 2014, are Rs 215, Rs 195 and Rs
193 in Area A, Area B and Area C respectively. Similarly for the highly skilled
labourers in the same sector, it is Rs 283, 262 and Rs 235 for Areas A, B and C
respectively.
Replying to another question, Tomar said that there are 56,90,636 beedi
workers in the country as on July 31, 2014, in various states. Under various
medical assistance given to the
beedi workers for different diseases, 31,74,440 workers benefited from
various health schemes in 2013-14.
He said that there were 4,96,416 beneficiaries under educational schemes in
2013-14 while the number of beneficiaries under group insurance scheme in the
same period was 7,02,320.
Source : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/
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