Govt to Fix Minimum Wages, Sets up Expert Panel

An expert panel, led by Prof Ajit Mishra, will give recommendations to the government on fixing minimum wages and the national floor minimum wage.

“The Ministry of Labour and Employment issued an order and has constituted an expert group to provide technical inputs and recommendations on fixation of minimum wages and national floor minimum wages,” a labour ministry statement said.

Minimum wage is different for different categories of workers. National floor refers to the minimum wage that is applicable to all categories of workers across the country. The group has been constituted for a period of three years from the date of notification.

To arrive at the wage rates, the group will look into international best practices on wages and evolve a scientific criteria and methodology to fix wages.

The expert group is chaired by Professor Ajit Mishra, Director, Institute of Economic Growth, and includes Professor Tarika Chakraborty, IIM Calcutta, Anushree Sinha, senior fellow, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Vibha Bhalla, joint secretary, H Srinivas, Director General of V V Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) as members. DPS Negi, senior labour and employment advisor at the Ministry of Labour and Employment will be member secretary.