Despite the Delhi government’s announcement for a major hike in minimum wages, the capital’s workforce will have to remain content with just the dearness allowance of a few hundred rupees.

According to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the government has reconstituted the committee on minimum wages after lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung turned down its proposal to increase minimum wages by steep 46 per cent. Earlier in September, terming the 13-member wage fixation committee set up by the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation without his prior approval as “illegal”, the L-G had asked the AAP government for a relook at the proposal.

As per the government’s September 30 order, workers in the unskilled category will get Rs 156 extra as dearness allowance every month, while those under semi-skilled category and skilled category will get extra monthly allowance of Rs 182 and Rs 208, respectively. From October 1, the minimum rates of wages are Rs 9,724 per month for unskilled workers, Rs 10,764 per month for semi-skilled workers and Rs 11,830 per month for skilled workers, according to the government.

In the past, the labour department has been notifying increase in dearness allowance (DA) twice in a year i.e. April and October, to mitigate the impact of inflation on the labourers.

“First time in India, the minimum wages were increased from Rs 9,000 to Rs 14,000. But the file was rejected by the L-G. He asked for reconstitution of the committee.

“He declared the committee null and void. I asked (labour minister) Gopal Rai to reconstitute the committee. The committee will give a similar proposal and I hope that in Delhi, minimum wages will be Rs 14,000,” Mr Kejriwal had said at an event to commemorate the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh on September 27.