Minimun wages will be hiked to Rs 15,000: Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the minimum wages in the national capital will be increased to Rs 15,000 by the end of this month. Speaking after inaugurating a complex of 148 toilets at Kalkaji in South Delhi, the chief minister said the initiative to raise minimum wages is awaiting the lieutenant-governor’s assent.

“We are sure of receiving the L-G’s nod and we will be able to increase the wages to Rs 15,000 by the end of this month,” Mr Kejriwal said. The AAP government had last year sent a proposal to the L-G under which minimum wage for an unskilled labourers was raised from Rs 9,568 to Rs 14,052.

Mr Kejriwal said a total of 945 toilets have been inaugurated across Delhi with an aim to make Delhi open-defecation free. “The initiative will provide safe and secure environment for everyone, particularly women. We have formed a dedicated maintenance team to ensure the toilets remain clean,” the chief minister said.

He said that health, hygiene and education remained top priorities for his government as he inaugurated a toilet complex that has nearly 150 lavatories in a south Delhi neighbourhood. “Our government is committed to work for the poor,” Mr Kejriwal said while inaugurating the complex in Kalkaji.

He said the government has already constructed nearly 7,000 toilets in the city and 1,000 more were in the pipeline. “We have made 7,000 toilets for the people of Delhi, mainly for women in slum areas where they faced a lot of problems,” the CM said.