Trade union activists, unorganised labourers and civil rights practitioners in Jaipur on Thursday (May 14, 2026) demanded a revision in minimum wages in Rajasthan to enable workers to earn a “dignified livelihood”. Rajasthan ranks among the States where the minimum wage rates are the lowest.
Addressing a State-level convention at the Samagra Seva Sangh headquarters, activists said the current wage rates were inadequate for meeting the basic necessities of food, healthcare, education, rent and transportation. Since the workers are unable to cover minimum expenses for their families, their debt burden continues to mount.
The speakers at the convention called for increasing minimum wages to ₹26,000 per month and incorporating actual inflation rates and the cost of living into the wage determination process. A resolution stated that the variable dearness allowance should be reviewed regularly as part of wage increments and the minimum wages revised every six months.
Calls for setting up panel
Several speakers raised the issues of silicosis infection at work, precarious employment, delayed wage payments and weak enforcement of labour rights. The resolution proposed the constitution of a People’s Workers’ Commission for sending recommendations to the government and a Minimum Wage Struggle Front to formulate future strategies and spearhead a Statewide dialogue and struggle.
