Enforcement of Minimum Wages

The provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, are being enforced by the Central Government and the State Governments in their respective jurisdiction. 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 non-compliance, penal provisions prescribed under section 22 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, are taken recourse to. The details in regard to enforcement of the minimum wages in the Scheduled employments in the Central Sphere are annexed.

Landholding is the basic eligibility criteria to avail the benefit of the PM-KISAN Scheme. The Scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs. 6000/- per year to be transferred in three equal instalments of  Rs. 2000/- each, every four months directly into the bank accounts of eligible landholding farmer families.

Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand driven wage employment programme which provides for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. There is no gender based discrimination under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. The Government has been making all efforts for improving the women participation under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and for which a separate schedule of rate has been mandated for them with flexible working hours.

As stipulated in the Schedule-II to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, the workers are, inter- alia, provided medical treatment in case of injury caused by accident arising out of and in the course of employment and ex gratia payment on death or permanent disability in the course of employment. Further, the facilities of safe drinking water, shade for children and periods of rest, first-aid box with adequate material for emergency treatment for minor injuries and other health hazards connected with the work being performed are provided at the work site.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Annexure

Details of Inspections, Prosecutions and Convictions done under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Claim cases under Minimum Wages Act, 1948