Gandhinagar, Wednesday: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has increased the minimum daily wages of labourers engaged in agricultural activity in the state by 20 per cent to Rs.120 from Rs.100 earlier.
Giving details of the pro-labour welfare policies initiated by the Chief Minister, Gujarat Government’s spokespersons-ministers Jay Narayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel here today said the decision would benefit about 86.12-lakh unorganized labourers in the state in the farm sector, comprising 61.48-lakh males and 24.64-lakh females. The decision will result in the state’s farm labour getting an additional income of Rs.17.22-crore per day, which amounts to Rs.516.72-crore per month.
Although the Union Government has suggested Rs.115 from April 1, 2011 as the minimum daily wage for farm labour across the country for the sake of uniformity, the spokespersons said that Mr. Modi decided to raise the amount further to Rs.120 for Gujarat in the larger interest of the ‘Shram Yogis’.