Karnataka likely to revise minimum wages, notification expected in two weeks: Report
Bengaluru: Karnataka may become the leading state in India for offering the highest minimum wages for both skilled and unskilled laborers. A formal notification regarding the wage revision is expected to be issued within the next two weeks.
The state's current minimum wages, as per a notification from 2022 by the Labour Department, range between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 per month. Karnataka is home to approximately 1.7 crore workers across various sectors, both organised and unorganised, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The draft notification on wage revision will be presented before the Karnataka Minimum Wage Advisory Board, which will then recommend wages for various categories, The New Indian Express report stated while quoting its sources. These recommendations may be either accepted or modified by the state government.
Trade unions have been demanding for a substantial increase in the minimum wage, calling for it to rise to Rs 35,000 per month.
Labour Minister Santosh Lad clarified that the minimum wage revision has not yet been finalised. He mentioned that the proposal has to be kept before the board for approval.
Lad noted that they need to follow certain parameters before finalising the new wages, adding that they are hoping to finish this task within 15 days.
“When we finalise the wages, we consider the demands of employers as well as workers. We are going to revise the existing wages. With the revision, Karnataka’s minimum wages are expected to be the highest in India,’’ TNIE quoted a source as saying.
Currently, Delhi has the highest minimum wages in India, ranging from Rs 17,000 to Rs 23,000 per month.
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Mexico's Congress approves higher tariffs on goods from India, China and non-FTA nations
Washington (PTI): Mexico's Congress has approved a bill that seeks to impose higher tariffs on imports from India, China, Brazil and several other countries with which the North American nation doesn't have free trade agreements.
The levies, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2026, was passed by Mexico's Senate on Wednesday after the lower house approved it.
The development comes months after US President Donald Trump imposed a steep 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods entering American markets, including 25 per cent for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, in August.
The bill, submitted to Congress by President Claudia Sheinbaum in September, proposes modifications to 1,463 tariff categories (or products) covering more than a dozen sectors, including auto parts, light vehicles, plastic, toys, textiles, furniture, footwear, clothing, aluminium and glass, according to the Mexico News Daily.
The proposed tariffs range from 5 per cent to 50 per cent.
Among the other countries that will be affected by the proposed higher tariffs are India, China, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, the daily said.
China will be the most affected country.
The paper said that the government believes that the proposed tariffs would generate additional revenue of USD 3.8 billion per year.
The Mexican government is aiming to reduce reliance on imports from Asian countries, especially China, it added.
The proposal to increase tariffs on China and other countries with which Mexico doesn't have free trade agreements represents “an alignment with US trade policy,” Horacio Saavedra, a Mexican diplomat, was quoted as saying by the news outlet La Silla Rota.
“The [tariff] measure responds to the shared concern of Mexico and the US about practices that have affected national industries, especially textiles, clothing and certain manufacturing sectors,” Saavedra said.
India was Mexico's 9th largest trading partner in 2023, with a trade of USD 10.58 billion. The bilateral trade in 2023 consisted of Indian imports of USD 2.54 billion and exports of USD 8.03 billion to Mexico.
In the trade basket from the Indian side, the most important items of export are automobiles and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods and chemical products.
From the Mexican side, the most important item is crude oil. Other products of export to India are gold and related jewellery, chemical compounds and telephone machinery.
