Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya seems to be keen on payment of salaries through cheques or electronic modes by all business and industrial establishments to their workers. He loses no opportunity to catch the attention of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He hopes that such an initiative would help brings Modi’s demonetisation move to the field level.

It may be easy for such payment for all regular workers. But problems arises in the unorganised sector, where over 95 per cent of work force is involved. To make it mandatory, his ministry has already prepared an Amendment Bill to Payment of Wages Act. Now he is seeking passage of the bill in the ongoing budget session of the Parliament.

Dattatreya said in Hyderabad today that the Government of India had issued an Ordinance in last December, which enables the Centre and states to classify industries and establishments that will have to pay wages to workers either through cheque or by crediting that into their bank accounts.

As presently most of workers are getting their salaries in cash, the minister said that has been giving scope for the managements for exploitation with under-payment. They mention one figure in the salary register and the salary they actually get is different. Trade Unions have been asking the Government since a long to control such practices, he added.

Now the Government in a bid to bring transparency and also encourage digital transactions, Dattatreya is making efforts to amend the Act. Once passed, the Act mandates that all the salaries should be paid through bank accounts, he added.

At present, the Act covers all those employees in certain categories of establishments whose wage does not exceed Rs 18,000 per month.