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Other States - Rajasthan

Gehlot writes to Manmohan for higher wages under rural jobs scheme
Special Correspondent

Rajasthan wiling to pay enhanced wages to workers

‘Demand justified as CPI has risen to 924 points'

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accepted in principle the demand for
enhancement of the wages of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme as per the recently revised minimum wage rates in the State. However, the catch
is that the Centre holds the key to any hike in the job scheme wages as there is a freeze on the
maximum daily wage under the NREGA at Rs.100.

“The demand appears to be fully justified for the reason that the Consumer Price Index has risen by
924 points between January 2008 and June 2010, whereas the minimum wage rate under the
MGREGS has not been correspondingly raised,” Mr. Gehlot wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh on November 1.

Perhaps there is an element of desperation in the plea from Mr. Gehlot as hundreds of MNREGS
workers are on dharna in the Capital demanding parity in the State's minimum wages. The onus is on
the State Government to make them go back to their villages in time for Diwali. As such the
workers, agitating under the banner of Suchana Evum Rozgar Ka Adhikar Abhiyan, have threatened
to observe a “Black Diwali” in case of non-acceptance of their demand.

Mr. Gehlot in his letter to the Prime Minister noted that the issue was discussed at the 12 {+t} {+h}
and 13 {+t} {+h} meetings of the Central Employment Guarantee Council held in Delhi on August
27 and September 30 respectively and again on October 22 at the meeting of the Working Group
on “Transparency and Accountability” constituted by the NAC (National Advisory Council).

“I am given to understand that the Working Group on Wages constituted by the Central
Employment Guarantee Council has submitted recommendations for a settlement of the issue by
indexing wages under MNREGS to the consumer price index for agricultural labourers, so that
workers could be given real wages,” Mr. Gehlot said. There was unanimity in the NAC's Working
Group meeting on adjusting the MNREGS wage rate to the minimum wage rate, he noted.

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The Chief Minister told Dr. Singh that the State had just revised the minimum rate of wages as per
Section 4 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and the revised rate in the case of unskilled workers
stood at Rs.135. While the minimum wages in Rajasthan have become applicable in both the
Government and private sector establishments, the enhanced wage rates would be applicable to
NREGS workers only “when they are notified by the Central Government, in accordance with the
provisions of Section 6(2) of the NREG Act 2005”.

“Since the wages for unskilled manual workers under NREGS are borne entirely by the Central
Government as laid down in Section 21(i) (a) of the NREG Act, 2005, may I request that the
minimum wage rate, as notified by the State Government, may be finalized by the Central
Government at the earliest, so that the enhance minimum wage rates became applicable to NREGS
workers within the State as well.” Mr. Gehlot also suggested to the Prime Minister that in future, as
a matter of principle, the Centre link the State's minimum wage rate notified under the Minimum
Wage Act with the wage rate under NREGS so that there would not be a need to making a
separate reference to the Centre in this regard.

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