Chandigarh, April 26 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Sunday that the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, can only be realised through active participation and labour empowerment.

He emphasised the strength of both the national and state economies is fundamentally anchored in the hard work and dedication of workers, whose contribution continues to propel India towards becoming a developed nation.

The Chief Minister was addressing a state-level Labour Awareness and Felicitation Programme organised at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurugram.

Responding to a demand raised by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh for the formation of a dedicated welfare mechanism for auto drivers and drivers, Chief Minister Saini announced that the state government would constitute a state social security board aimed at ensuring the social and economic upliftment of organised workers.

He said the board would extend the ambit of social security benefits to auto drivers and drivers as well.

Referring to the already announced service security framework, the Chief Minister added that the process of issuing appointment letters is currently underway and assured that all eligible workers would be provided appointment letters by June 15, thereby strengthening employment security and institutional transparency.

Highlighting a landmark reform, Chief Minister Saini said Haryana has become the first state in the country to implement a 35 per cent increase in minimum basic wages under the provisions of the Code on Wages.

Tracing the trajectory of wage growth, he noted that the minimum wage stood at Rs 2,903 in 2005 and rose to Rs 6,289 by 2014.

He said that under the current state government the minimum wages have now reached Rs 19,425.

While wages nearly doubled during the previous 10-year period, they have increased more than threefold over the past eleven years, reflecting the state government’s sustained commitment towards labour welfare and inclusive economic growth.

The Chief Minister added that the Centre has launched the ‘e-Shram’ Portal for the registration of workers in the unorganised sector.

More than 54.32 lakh workers in Haryana have been registered on the portal, while in the organised sector 33.58 lakh workers are registered across 4.5 lakh establishments.

–IANS

vg/khz