New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, proclaimed an increase in minimum wages, and aforementioned that around 55 lakh contractual staff within the national capital will be benefited from the increased wages decided by the government.
Kejriwal also announced that the employees will also get a dearness allowance for the months of April to September and a Diwali bonus of one month’s salary.
Appreciating the decision, Kejriwal claimed it is the highest ever increase in minimum wages by any state in India and said that Delhi’s minimum wage is three times more than the national minimum wage. National minimum wage is ₹4,628 per month while in Delhi, it is ₹14,842 per month. As per the latest notification, unskilled workers will now get ₹14,842 per month, for semi-skilled workers, it is ₹16,341 per month and for skilled workers, it will be ₹17,991.
This came two weeks after the top court approved the Delhi government’s notification to increase minimum wages. Outlining government struggle on the issue, Kejriwal welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision and said that after the Delhi High Court rejected the proposal last year, the government revised its work on the entire issue and thereafter challenged the High Court decision in the top court.
In its order, the top court had said: “We allow the petitioner state (Delhi government) to take the draft notification to the logical conclusion and direct that till said notification comes into effect, the relationship shall be governed by and in terms of the notification dated March 3, 2017, as directed in the order of October 31, 2018. Once the notification is issued, the appropriate legal consequence and sequitur shall follow.”
The minimum wages had been fixed by the government on the basis of the average prices of food items and clothing, and other basic life necessities like housing, electricity, etc.