Minimum wages revised in 2022, next hike under national policy: J&K Govt
Was replying to a question on the enhancement of minimum wages
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday said that minimum wages for scheduled employments in Jammu and Kashmir were last revised in October 2022, and any further revision will be carried out once the Government of India notifies and implements the National Floor Wages under the Code on Wages, 2019, which will be applicable to the Union Territory.
The Deputy Chief Minister made these remarks while replying to a question on the enhancement of minimum wages raised by legislator Ali Mohammad Dar in the Legislative Assembly.
He said the Government of India, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), has issued periodic notifications revising the minimum wage structure under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
“These revisions are based on adjustments to the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), which is linked to the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), and are intended to address inflationary pressures and rising costs of living across different skill categories,” Choudhary said.
The Deputy Chief Minister further said that under the latest central notifications, effective from October 1, 2024, minimum wage rates for workers employed in the unorganised sector and scheduled employments have been revised upward for all categories—unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled workers.
He said the revised wages comprise both basic wage and VDA components, as notified by the Government of India.
Choudhary also informed the House that the Code on Wages, 2019—effective nationwide, including Jammu and Kashmir, from November 21, 2025—has subsumed the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and now governs all matters related to wages. The Code provides for a national floor minimum wage and strengthens mechanisms for periodic revision based on socio-economic criteria.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir government revised minimum wages for scheduled employments vide S.O. 513 dated October 12, 2022. “In terms of Section 3(1)(b) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the appropriate government is empowered to revise minimum wage rates in accordance with Section 5 of the Act. The current revision shall remain operative till October 2027,” he said.
He added that further revisions will be undertaken as and when the Government of India notifies and implements the National Floor Wages under the Code on Wages, 2019, which will also apply to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. During the discussion, legislators Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and Hasnain Masoodi raised supplementary questions on the issue.
