Under Section 42 of the Code on Wages, 2019, in constituting the Central Advisory Board (and correspondingly the State Advisory Boards), what proportion of the nominated members must be women?

Section 42(2) of the Code on Wages, 2019 mandates that one-third of the members of the Central Advisory Board (constituted under Section 42(1) to advise the Central Government on matters such as fixation of minimum wages and increasing employment opportunities for women) shall be women. The Board comprises persons representing employers, an equal number representing employees, independent persons not exceeding one-third of the total membership, and five representatives of State Governments, with one of the independent members appointed as Chairperson. This gender-representation mandate, a novel feature absent from the erstwhile Minimum Wages Act, 1948, reflects a deliberate legislative push to ensure women's perspectives inform wage-policy advisory functions at both the Central and State levels.