Average Daily Wages

The combination of slower productivity and a shrinking formal sector has substantially restrained wage growth, undermining both worker income and domestic demand

NCRB's Crime in India 2023 report shows suicides by daily wage earners surged 45 per cent since 2019 to 47,170, making them the largest group affected by economic distress

A Business Standard analysis shows that an unskilled worker earns ₹10,994 and ₹11,257 in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana respectively, while a skilled worker gets ₹13,546 and ₹14,367 respectively

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said a panel has been formed to address the issue of regularisation of daily wagers in the Union Territory, which will submit its recommendations to the government in six months. The chief minister also said the National Conference government is committed to ensuring speedy recruitment to fill the vacant posts in government services in Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to a question by BJP MLA Satish Sharma in the Assembly, Abdullah said, "A committee was announced in the Assembly last time, and a formal order was issued (for its formation). The committee has been constituted under the chief secretary to examine the issue." The panel has been given a six-month time frame to assess the matter, and once the recommendations are received, the government will act accordingly, the chief minister said. The J-K government on Wednesday constituted the six-member committee to examine the issues related to the regularisation of daily wage

Once called a "monument of failure" of the UPA government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) was one of the flagship schemes launched during the Manmohan Singh government's first tenure, and it proved to be a lifeline for rural workers during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. Launched in 2005, the MGNREGS was one of the first major schemes brought by the Manmohan Singh government, which at that time had Left parties supporting it. The UPA government had then described it as a "landmark in our history in removing poverty from the face of the nation". The National Advisory Council (NAC) chaired by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, which had several social activists and experts in an advisory role to the prime minister, also played a key role in shaping the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) based on the "Right to Work". The MGNREGA aims at enhancing the livelihood security of rural households

It reveals a worrying surge in crush injuries among women, with cases increasing from 19 in 2019 to 321 in 2024

The survey, which was conducted among 1,396 worker groups, adding up to 8,023 people that included 4,836 women and children, showed that 76 per cent of the workers had less than Rs 200 left with them

Trade unions slam decision, employers welcome it, saying it was absolutely necessary especially in absence of grants from govt to industry for wage payment

In the last few days, the restlessness of the migrant workers has spilled into the streets in major cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi, and Surat.

"The government lacks the fiscal space. It will not be feasible to give grants to the industry to take care of its wage bills," sources said.

Over 90 per cent of low-income households are employed in the informal sector, and they will be the hardest hit by the pandemic

The low-skilled profession is paid only 60% of the average earnings