Govt hikes minimum wage rates for workers up to Rs 1,035 per day
New Delhi, Sep 26: The Union government on Thursday announced a hike in minimum wage rates for workers up to Rs 1,035 a day by revising variable dearness allowance.
This adjustment is aimed at helping workers cope with the rising cost of living, a labour ministry statement said.
After revision, minimum wage rates in area 'A' for workers in construction, sweeping, cleaning, loading & unloading for unskilled work will be Rs 783 a day (Rs 20,358 per month).
For semi-skilled workers, the minimum wage rate will be Rs 868 a day (Rs 22,568 per month) and for skilled, clerical and watch & wards without arms at Rs 954 a day (Rs 24,804 per month).
The minimum wage rate for highly skilled and watch & ward with arms will be Rs 1,035 a day (Rs 26,910 per month).
The new wage rates will take effect from October 1, 2024. Last revision was done in April 2024.
The minimum wage rates are categorized based on skill levels-unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and highly skilled-as well as by geographical area - A, B, and C.
In a significant move to support workers, particularly those in the unorganized sector, the Central Government has announced an increase in minimum wage rates by revising the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), the labour ministry statement said.
Workers engaged in various sectors, including building construction, loading and unloading, watch and ward, sweeping, cleaning, housekeeping, mining, and agriculture within central sphere establishments, will benefit from the revised wage rates.
The Central Government revises the VDA twice a year, effective from April 1 and October 1, based on the six-month average increase in the Consumer Price Index for industrial workers.
Detailed information regarding the minimum wage rates by sector, categories and area, is available on the website (clc.gov.in) of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central).
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
