New Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Wednesday announced a minimum wage of Rs 18,066 for unskilled workers in the unorganised sector, Rs 19,929 for semi-skilled and Rs 21,917 for skilled workers. In her first press conference after taking charge as Delhi Chief Minister, Atishi said that the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal has implemented a minimum wage for workers in the city, which is the “highest” in the country.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said that the new minimum wage rates will come into effect from October 1. It said that other rates of revised minimum wages are Rs 21,917 for class 10th pass workers and Rs 23,836 for graduate workers.
Accusing the BJP of being “anti-poor”, Chief Minister Atishi claimed that the minimum wage in BJP-ruled states is “half of the wage being given in Delhi.” Atishi said that the Kejriwal government not only implemented the minimum wage through the court, but also ensured its revision twice every year despite the “hurdles” created by the BJP.
He said, “People who get minimum wages are from the poor class, they are laborers. BJP has always worked against the poor and when the Kejriwal government talked about increasing the minimum wage in Delhi in 2016-17, the BJP stopped it through its Lieutenant Governor.” Atishi said that the Kejriwal government fought and the court gave a decision in the interest of the common people.
He said that now the minimum wage is revised twice a year as per the announcement of dearness allowance for government employees. The Chief Minister said that before the Kejriwal government came to power, in 2013, the minimum wage in Delhi was Rs 7,722 for unskilled workers, Rs 8,528 for semi-skilled and Rs 9,388 for skilled.