Minimum wage hike for unskilled workers in Punjab on cards

Chandigarh, November 8

The Punjab Cabinet is expected to take a crucial decision of increasing the minimum wages of unskilled workers from present Rs 8,700 to Rs 9,200, benefitting nearly 14 lakh workforce at a meeting on Tuesday. It may announce two dearness allowance (DA) instalments, resulting in an increase in the minimum wages.

Sources said the government was planning to release two more DA instalments in the coming days, taking the minimum wages to Rs 10,000. An advisory board has been constituted to release the DA. The agenda item in this regard was being tabled by the Labour Department.

It is also likely to take a call on the revised OTS policy to regularise building violations. After consultations with PUDA, the department has proposed a reduction in compounding rates as a one-time measure for regularising building violations.

The scheme would be called One-Time Settlement (OTS) of non-compoundable violations in houses, commercial shops and institutional buildings falling in municipalities and improvement trusts.

Meanwhile, the issue of resignation tendered by AG APS Deol is likely to be tabled at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The government wants to mollify Sidhu ahead of the November 11 sitting, when it plans to bring in a white paper on PPAs, besides resolution to reject the farm laws. — TNS

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