Govt rules out uniform rate of minimum wage

Government ruled out possibility of a uniform rate of minimum wages for workers across the states under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Government on Friday ruled out possibility of a uniform rate of minimum wages for workers across the states under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

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"The Ministry of Rural Development has discussed the subject of minimum wages with the state governments from time to time. There is no proposal under consideration for taking up the matter with the states for increasing the wages fixed by respective states," Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour. He was replying to a query suggesting that minimum wages differed from state to state and asking the government to make it uniform.

"If there can be a consensus among the states on a uniform minimum wage, we shall be very happy. But it is very difficult and we do not want to confront with the states," Singh said.

He also said that all states have been informed that payment under NREGA would be made only through bank or post office accounts and not in cash.

So far, 5.27 crore accounts of NREGA workers in banks/post office have been opened.