Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Attorneys
Wages framework

Minimum wages

Minimum wages in India are fixed and revised by the appropriate Government, separately for scheduled employments, skill categories and geographies. This page sets out the legal framework, the notifying authority for each public state, and the latest state notification on file. We deliberately do not publish a static rate table because rates change by gazette notification.

Why we do not publish live rate tables: Minimum wages change by gazette notification, sometimes twice a year for VDA. Publishing a static table risks displaying stale figures. The latest notification PDF for each state is the only authoritative source.

Framework

Statutory basis

Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (until subsumed). Chapter II of the Code on Wages, 2019 introduces a national floor wage and extends minimum-wage coverage to all employments once notified; Central Rules under the Code remain in draft.

Components

A minimum wage typically comprises basic wages plus Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), linked to the Consumer Price Index. Revisions are usually six-monthly for VDA and on a longer cycle for the basic component.

Scope of fixation

Fixation is by scheduled employment, by skill category (unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled) and by zone (A, B, C). Both the Central and State Governments fix minimum wages within their respective spheres.

Floor wage

Section 9 of the Code on Wages, 2019 empowers the Central Government to fix a floor wage, which the appropriate Government cannot go below when fixing or revising minimum wages.

Notifying authority by state

  • Tamil Nadu

    Labour & Employment Department, Government of Tamil Nadu (Commissioner of Labour)

    Minimum Wages Act, 1948 s.3 read with Tamil Nadu Minimum Wages Rules, 1953
    No notification on file

  • Karnataka

    Department of Labour, Government of Karnataka (Commissioner of Labour)

    Minimum Wages Act, 1948 s.3 read with Karnataka Minimum Wages Rules, 1958
    No notification on file

  • Maharashtra

    Industries, Energy and Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra (Commissioner of Labour)

    Minimum Wages Act, 1948 s.3 read with Maharashtra Minimum Wages Rules, 1963
    No notification on file

  • Delhi

    Labour Department, Government of NCT of Delhi (Chief Labour Commissioner)

    Minimum Wages Act, 1948 s.3 read with Delhi Minimum Wages Rules, 1950
    No notification on file

  • Telangana

    Labour, Employment, Training & Factories Department, Government of Telangana (Commissioner of Labour)

    Minimum Wages Act, 1948 s.3 read with Telangana Minimum Wages Rules
    No notification on file
See the Recent updates feed for the full notification trail, or the Downloads hub for source PDFs.