Budgam, Feb 03 (KNO): The J&K Government on Tuesday said that the minimum wages for workers across all skill categories—including unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled—have been revised upward in line with notifications issued by the Centre to address rising inflation and cost-of-living pressures.
Replying to a question by legislator Ali Mohammad Dar in the Assembly, the government, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, through the office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), has revised the minimum wage structure under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
The government said that the revisions are based on adjustments in the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), which is linked to the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), and are aimed at protecting workers from inflationary pressures.
It said that under the latest central notifications, effective from October 1, 2024, minimum wage rates for workers employed in the unorganised sector and scheduled employments have been revised upwards for all skill categories, including highly skilled workers. The revised wages include both basic wage and VDA components.
The government further informed the House that the Code on Wages, 2019 has now come into force across India, including Jammu and Kashmir, and provides for a national floor wage along with strengthened mechanisms for periodic revision of minimum wages based on socio-economic criteria. It added that the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 has been subsumed under the Code on Wages, 2019.
On whether the UT government intends to revise minimum wage rates in Jammu and Kashmir, the government said that minimum wages for scheduled employments were already revised vide S.O. 513 dated October 12, 2022.
It said that under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, the revised wage structure shall remain operative till October 2027. The government added that the national floor wages notified by the Government of India under the Code on Wages, 2019 shall be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir as and when notified—(KNO)