Rajya Sabha passes Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017

The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which enables employers to pay wages through cheque or by crediting it to bank accounts, was passed by Parliament, with the Rajya Sabha too clearing it on Wednesday.

The Bill was passed by the Upper House by voice vote, while the Lok Sabha cleared it on Tuesday.

The Bill removes the requirement of obtaining written authorisation for payment of wages by cheque or through a bank account from the labourer concerned.

However, the existing provision of payment in current coins or currency notes will remain in place.

The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017, was passed by the House after the reply of Bandaru Dattatreya, Minister of State for Labour and Employment.

The Minister, replying to over two-hour long debate on the bill, said that his government was "very sensitive" towards the issues related to workers.

He said the bill would help curb exploitation of workers by their employers.

"We are going to give identity cards to all workers (of the country) in a phased manner," he said.

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 15 last year but could not be taken up for discussion. Later, the President issued an ordinance on December 28.

--IANS

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