PATNA: The state government has announced a hike in the minimum wages for the workers of various categories despite financial constraints due to the Covid19 outbreak.
The new wages announced by the government will come into effect from today. As per a notification issued by the labour resources department on Wednesday, the new wages is for the next six months. Minimum wages are revised twice a year.
As per the revised wages, unskilled labourers will get Rs 304 per day, while the minimum wage for semi-skilled labourers has been fixed at Rs 316 per day and skilled labourers will get paid Rs 385 per day.
For highly skilled labourers, the minimum wage is fixed at Rs 470. Likewise, supervisors/clerical labourers will be paid Rs 8,703 per month. The new wages will apply to altogether 69 scheduled employment in private as well as public sectors.
According to labour department officials, the last revised rates of minimum wages for unskilled labourers were fixed at Rs 292 per day. Similarly, semi-skilled labourers got Rs 304, skilled labourers Rs 370 and highly skilled labourers Rs 451 per day.
A senior official of the labour resources department said on Thursday that the minimum wages are revised every six months under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (XI of 1948) read with clause (B) of sub-section (1) of Section 5 of the said Act. The officer clarified that the minimum wages were revised twice a year.
Hailing the government's hike in the minimum wages, a 45-year-old labourer Ramesh Chandra Pandit said, "It's now evident that the state government is serious about the welfare of the labourers of different categories. We all should appreciate this step."
Labour resources department minister Jibesh Kumar said the state has altogether 14.87 lakh registered labourers of up to 60 years of age. They will be paid Rs 3,000 per annum for health facilities. The government has sanctioned Rs 446 crore for the purpose.