Former Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai on Wednesday pleaded for revising the daily minimum wage to Rs300 in the State.
Speaking to this newspaper, Ghadai said that when many States have raised the minimum wage to above Rs200, it is still Rs164 in Odisha. “Haryana has raised the minimum wage to Rs236, the highest in the country. Similarly, it is Rs222 in Andaman, Rs212 in Kerala and Rs200 in Punjab. However, the Odisha Government has not yet increased its minimum wage,” he said.
He said that when the daily wage earners are getting up to Rs250 a day at some places, there is no justification in delaying the wage revision process. “In the past one year, prices of essential commodities have gone up manifold. When the wage earners have started getting Rs250 at villages, why should they show interest to work at Rs164 fixed by the State GovernmentIJ” he asked.
Citing the Raghuram Rajan Committee and Planning Commission reports, Ghadai said most of the people in Odisha belong to the below poverty line (BPl) category and they need to be brought above BPl by enhanced economic support which is only possible through a hike in the minimum wage. He maintained that the migration problem, which has often brought disrepute to the State, can also be checked to a great extent if the wage rate is increased.