Hyderabad, May 21 (IANS) The Telangana government has decided to enhance minimum wages for workers across the state. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said on Thursday that the decision has been taken on the recommendation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

For the unskilled category of workers, the government has increased the minimum wages from Rs 12,750 to Rs 16,000. For the semi-skilled category, the minimum wages have been revised from Rs 13,152 to Rs 17,000.

The Chief Minister told the media that for the skilled workers, the minimum wages have been increased from Rs 13,772 to Rs 18,500, while for the highly skilled category, the government has decided to raise the wages from Rs 14,607 to Rs 20,000.

This decision by the state government will come into effect starting June 1 and benefit 1.11 crore workers, he said while congratulating them.

He alleged that due to the negligence of the previous government, the workers suffered losses.

CM Revanth Reddy said the government has created three geographical zones. “We have determined the minimum wage structure by designating Municipal Corporations as Zone 1, Municipalities as Zone 2, and Rural Areas as Zone 3,” he said.

The Chief Minister claimed that for the first time since the formation of the state, a decision has been taken specifically for the welfare of workers. The previous government neglected its responsibilities in this regard, he said.

He stated that the Congress government acted responsibly and took a decision that serves the best interests of the workers.

Revanth Reddy advised the youth to come out of the mindset that focuses solely on careers in Information Technology or migrating to the United States.

“Education that fails to yield jobs or provide employment opportunities is futile. Possessing technical skills opens up a multitude of opportunities in various other countries, such as Germany, Japan, and Singapore,” he said.

“That is precisely why the state government has established Skills University to encourage and empower the youth. The youth should direct their focus and efforts in this direction,” he added.

The Chief Minister recalled the services of former Union Minister late G. Venkatswamy, saying the mere mention of a “labour leader” brings to mind the name of Venkataswamy.

“As his successor, Mr Vivek has taken a commendable decision aimed at the welfare of the working class,” the Chief Minister said while praising Labour Minister Vivek Venkatswamy, son of G. Venkatswamy.

–IANS

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