Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday assured the labourers of taking action against those who are not abiding by the minimum wage norms fixed by Delhi Government. The Chief Minister also urged all the labourers to send their students to school and assured that the Government is taking steps to make its schools on a par with the private schools.
"We will take strict action against those not abiding by minimum wage norms for labours," Kejriwal said, while addressing a gathering on the occasion of 'labour Day'.
"If Delhi was granted statehood, we would have made all contractual labourers permanent. We are facing certain hurdles but we will do it soon," the Chief Minister said.
Delhi labour Minister Gopal Rai announced that the registered construction workers will soon receive passes for free travel in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses plying across the city.
"The construction board is making a proposal for providing passes for free DTC travel to registered construction workers," Rai said in his address.
It may be recalled that lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had accorded his approval to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Government's decision to hike by 37 per cent the minimum wages of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers in 2017.
Kejriwal, who piloted the hike, had then dubbed the 37 per cent hike in minimum wages for the unskilled, the semi-skilled and the skilled workers in Delhi as "historic" and "highest" in Independent India. The Delhi Government had issued notification for its implementation in March, 2017.
According to the Delhi Government's decision, minimum wages was fixed at Rs 13,350 per month for the unskilled labourers, against the existing Rs 9,724 per month. For semi-skilled and skilled persons, it was increased from Rs 10,764 to Rs 14,698 and from Rs 11,830 to Rs 16,182 per month respectively.