EXPERT PANEL FOR MINIMUM WAGES

EXPERT PANEL FOR MINIMUM WAGES

Subject : Governance

Context : Labour and Employment Ministry set up expert group that will provide technical inputs and recommendations on fixation of minimum wages and national floor for minimum wages.

Concept :

• Expert group has been set for a period of three years. It is chaired by Ajit Mishra who is Director of Institute of Economic Growth.
• Other members include- Tarika Chakraborty from IIM Calcutta; Anushree Sinha; Vibha Bhalla, Joint Secretary; et-al.
• Expert group will look after International best practices on wages to arrive at any wage rate. They will evolve a scientific criteria and methodology to fix wages.
• The Code on Wages, which has not been enforced, provides for setting up of National Floor Level Minimum Wage by Centre which is to be revised every five years.
• On the other hand, states will fix minimum wages for their regions, that cannot be lower than floor wage. Current floor wage is at Rs 176 per day.
• This is the second expert committee on minimum wages formed by government in last two years. Last panel was headed by Anoop Satpathy and was set up by ministry on January 17, 2018.