Under Section 9 of the Code on Wages, 2019, which of the

Solution

Section 9 of the Code on Wages, 2019 empowers only the Central Government not State Governments to fix the National Floor Wage, taking into account the minimum living standards of workers. A key feature is that different floor wages may be fixed for different geographical areas, acknowledging regional cost-of-living variations across India. Once the floor wage is fixed, no State Government can fix its minimum wages below the floor wage and critically, if the existing State minimum wage is already higher than the floor wage, the State cannot reduce it to the floor wage level. Before fixing the floor wage, the Central Government may consult the Central Advisory Board and State Governments this consultation is advisory, not mandatory. Minimum wages under the Code are to be revised at intervals not exceeding five years, ensuring periodic updates aligned to economic conditions.