- Ashok Gehlot wrote a letter to the CM out of concern for the workers.
- Minimum wages in Rajasthan are at the lowest level in the country.
- Wage growth is very low compared to inflation.
- Gehlot suggested increasing wages and making amendments within six months.
Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressing concern over the situation of minimum wages in the state. In this letter he has given suggestions for improving the minimum wage rates. In this letter written on the eve of International Labor Day, Gehlot expressed deep concern over the economic condition of lakhs of workers of Rajasthan. Describing the minimum wage rates in the state as very low compared to other progressive states of the country, Gehlot has given concrete suggestions for immediate improvement in it.
According to a statement, in the letter, Gehlot has written quoting the data of the Labor Department of the Rajasthan Government that, ‘By March 2026, Rajasthan is included in the lowest level states of the country in terms of minimum wages, this situation is extremely worrying which needs improvement.’
Gehlot expressed concern over minimum wage
According to this, ‘At present the minimum wage in Rajasthan is only Rs 7,410 per month for unskilled workers and Rs 9,334 per month for highly skilled workers. These wages have increased only 40-50 percent in the last decade, while India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) has almost doubled in the same period. This simply means that there has been a real increase of only 20-30 percent in the real purchasing power of workers and the remaining increase has been lost to inflation. According to the letter written by Gehlot, ‘In comparison, there has been an increase of 90-110 percent in Kerala, 80-90 percent in Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Rajasthan is far behind these states which is very worrying.
Gehlot gave suggestions to improve minimum wages
He has also given some suggestions to improve the situation, which include immediately revising the minimum wages in the range of Rs 12,000-15,000 per month. It has also been suggested to make arrangements to automatically and compulsorily implement the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) amendment every six months, so that workers get real protection from inflation. Along with this, he has suggested that like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an area-specific wage notification system should be developed in Rajasthan too, so that different rates can be determined for agriculture, construction, handicrafts, domestic service etc.