Background
The Government of NCT of Delhi last revised the basic minimum rates for scheduled employments vide Notification No. 12(142)/02/MW/VII/3636 dated October 22, 2019, which stipulates that Dearness Allowance (DA) is payable on the basis of the six-monthly average consumer price index numbers for January–June and July–December, effective April 1 and October 1 respectively.
In line with that mechanism, the Office of the Commissioner (Labour), Labour Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, issued an Order dated April 15, 2025 declaring the DA payable with effect from April 1, 2025, on the basis of the average All India Consumer Price Index Number of 413.42 for the period July to December 2024 (an increase of 11.32 points), and notifying revised minimum rates of wages for —
Applicability
These revised rates apply to all employers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi engaging workers in any scheduled employment notified by the Government of NCT of Delhi under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 — including factories, shops and commercial establishments, hotels and restaurants, construction works, security and housekeeping services, and establishments engaging workers through contractors — in respect of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers as well as clerical and supervisory staff (non-matriculates, matriculates who are not graduates, and graduates and above). The Order has also been forwarded to the Finance Department of the Government of NCT of Delhi for issue of directions in respect of workers employed in the offices of the Government of Delhi.
Compliance Requirements
For unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers in all scheduled employments, the Order adds the DA declared with effect from April 1, 2025 to the rates applicable as on October 1, 2024, as set out below:
Category of Worker | Rate as on 01.10.2024 (₹/month) | DA w.e.f. 01.04.2025 (₹/month) | Monthly Rate from 01.04.2025 (₹) | Daily Rate from 01.04.2025 (₹) |
Unskilled | 18,066 | 390 | 18,456 | 710 |
Semi-skilled | 19,929 | 442 | 20,371 | 784 |
Skilled | 21,917 | 494 | 22,411 | 862 |
For clerical and supervisory staff in all scheduled employments, the revised rates are prescribed by educational qualification, as set out below:
Category of Worker | Rate as on 01.10.2024 (₹/month) | DA w.e.f. 01.04.2025 (₹/month) | Monthly Rate from 01.04.2025 (₹) | Daily Rate from 01.04.2025 (₹) |
Non-matriculates | 19,929 | 442 | 20,371 | 784 |
Matriculates but not Graduates | 21,917 | 494 | 22,411 | 862 |
Graduates and above | 23,836 | 520 | 24,356 | 937 |
The following conditions apply to the revised rates under the Order and the underlying statutory framework:
Penalty and Consequences
Under Section 22 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, as amended in its application to Delhi by the Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Act, 2017 (in force from May 5, 2018), an employer who pays any employee less than the minimum rate of wages fixed for that employee’s class of work, or less than the amount due under the Act, is punishable with imprisonment for a term of three years, or with fine of ₹50,000, or with both.
Under Section 22A of the Act, as so amended, any employer who contravenes any other provision of the Act or of any rule or order made thereunder, for which no specific penalty is otherwise provided, is punishable with imprisonment for a term of one year, or with fine of ₹20,000, or with both.
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