Question : DISPARITY IN WAGES

(a) whether instances of violations of Minimum Wa^es Act, 1948 and denial of equal minimum wages has been reported from various ports of the country including huge disparity in the wages off urban and rural India;

(b) if so, the details of such cases reported and the action taken against such violations* during the last three yeans and the current year, State-wise;

(c) whether the Government has any proposal to amend the Minimum W;Eiges Act, 1948 to provide for statutory National floor level minimum wages and also to provide universal social security cover for workers of both the organised and unorganised sector including agricultural sector; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI KODIKUNNILSURESH)

(a) & (b): From time to time, Government has been receiving instances of violations of Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Whenever such instances are brought to the knowledge of the concerned authorities, the matter is taken up with the defaulting employer to pay the shortfall in wages payable to the workers along with compensation failing which the case is filed in the appropriate court for prosecution. The Staibe-wis
There is no specific data available in the Ministry about the disparity in wages peitaining to urban and rural India.

(c) & (d): The Union Cabinet has recently approved the proposal! for amendment: of the Minimum Wages Act,, 1948 which, inter-alia, include making National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) statutory and applicable to all omiploymentts in both organized and unorganized sectors across all States/UTs,

Government is moving towards providing universal social security cover to workers of the unorganized sector in a phased manner. With this objective, Government enacted the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008 which provides for constitutioni of National Social Security Board at the Central level to recommend social security schemes viz. life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection amdl any other beneiFit as may be determined by the Government for the unorganized workers,. With this objective, Government has launched a number of Schemes such as Rashtriya Swasthya BSma Yojanai (RSBY), Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY), Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) etc. Universal social security coverage for the organized sector is already available.