Friday, March 29, 2024

Bihar hikes minimum wages for labourers for six months amid rising Covid cases

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Express News Service
PATNA: The government in Bihar has announced a hike in the minimum wages for both skilled and unskilled labourers with effect from April 2 for next six months. 

The hike in a minimum wage has been revised under the Minimum Wage Act, 1948. The second revision will be carried out in September this year considering the rate of ‘mahangai (inflation).

Confirming this, labour resource department minister Jibesh Kumar said that the minimum wage hike has been done for next six months for the labourers of state taking the persisting ‘mahangai’ rate into consideration.

“Our government has taken this pro-labourer decision in their economic interests at a time also when we are also prepared to face the second round of COVID-19 cases”, the minister said, adding that a sum of Rs 446 crore  was released by the government to meet the burden of hike in the minimum wage.

Now for next 6 months, the semi-skilled labourers  will get Rs 316, skilled labourers Rs 385 rupees, unskilled Rs 304 and the highly skilled labourers will get now Rs 470 rupees per day after the hike in their the minimum wages comes into effect

Earlier, unskilled labourers were getting Rs 292, semi-skilled labourers were getting Rs 304 and skilled ones were getting Rs 370. The highly skilled labourers were getting Rs 451 only.

The minister said that the hike in the minimum wages has been made effective in 69 schedule employment wings both in private and public sectors in the state. Minister Jibesh Kumar said more than 19.50 lakh labourers are registered in Bihar.

“Out of the total registered labourers of all categories,  the Aadhar authentification-cum-linking  of more than 14.92 lakh have been done and for the rest, process  is going on”, Kumar said that the government has also decided to give Rs 3000 annually for their health care which will be deposited into their accounts after their Aadhaars are linked with the department. He said that the labourers registered with the department are also being given the financial supports of Rs 10 lakhs in which Rs 5 lakhs is waived off, by the state government under the Mukhyamatri Udhaami Yojna (Chief Minister Entrepreneurship Scheme).

“For this, a huge fund of Rs 446 crore has already been made available by the state government”, the minister said.

The minister said that skill mapping of labourers of all categories will soon start in panchayats in Bihar to know how many of them are outside the state andhow many of them are in the state.

Old minimum wages————– Now hiked wagesRs 292 to unskilled labourers—– Rs 304Rs 304 to semi-skilled ———– Rs 316Rs 370 to skilled workers. ——— Rs 385Rs 451 to high skilled workers.—– Rs 470 

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