(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Central Government may, by notification, specify the wage rate for the purposes of this Act:
11 of 1948. Wage r~te.
Provided that different rates of wages may be specified for different areas:
Provided further that the wage rate specified from time to time under any such notification shall not be at a rate less than sixty rupees per day.
(2) Until such time as a wage rate is fixed by the Central Government in respect of any area in a State, the minimum wage fixed by the State Government under section 3 of the Minimum Wages Act, I ?48 for agricultural laboUrers, shall be considered as the wage rate applicable to that area.
11 of 1948.
4 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY [PART 11- Payment of 7. (1) If an applicant for employment under the Scheme is not provided such unemployment employment within fifteen days of receipt of his applicatIon seeking employment or from allowance. the date on which the employment has been sought in the case of an advance application, whichever is later, he shall be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance in accordance with this section.
(2) Subject to such terms and conditions of eligibility as may be prescribed by the State Goverrirtlent and subject 10 the provisions of this Act and the Schemes and the economic capacity of the State Government, the unemployment allowance payable under sub-section (1) shall be paid to the applicants of a household subject to the entitlement of the household at such rate as may be specified by the State Government, by notification, in consultation with the State Council:
Provided that no such rate shall be less than one-fourth of the wage rate for the first thirty days during the fmancial year and not less than one-half of the wage rate for the remaining period of the financial year.
(3) The liability of the State Government to pay unemployment allowance to a household during any financial year shall cease as soon as-
(a) the applicant is directed by the Gram Panchayat or the Programme Officer .toreport for work either by himself or depute at least one adult member of his household; or
(b) the period for which employment is sought comes to an end and no member of the household of the applicant had turned up for employment; or
(c) the adult members of the household of the applicant have received in total at least one hundred. days of work within the financial year; or
(d) the household of the applicant has earned as much from the wages and unemployment allowance taken together which is equal to the wages for one hundred days of work during the financial year.
(4) The unemployment allowance payable to, the household of an applicant jointly shall be sanctioned and disbursed by the Programme Officer or such local authority (including the Panchayats at the district, intermediate or village level) as the State Government may, by notification, authorise in this behalf.
(5) Every payment of unemployment allowance under sub-section (1) shall be made or offered not later than fifteen days from the date on which it became due for payment.
(6) The State Government may prescribe the procedure for payment tfunemployment allowance under this Act.
Non- 8. (1) If the Programme Officer is not in a position to disburse the unemployment disbursement allowance in time or at all for any reason beyond his control, he shall report the matter to of the District Programme Coordinator and announce such reasons in a notice to be displayed ~~~:~~~~~:nt on his notice board and the notice board of the Gram Panchayat and such other certain conspicuous places as he may deem necessary.
circumstances.
(2) Every case of non-payment or delayed payment of unemployment allowance shall be reported in the annual report submitted by the District Programme Coordinator to the State Government along with the reasons for such non-payment or delayed payment.
(3) The State Government shall take all measures to make the payment of unemployment allowance reported under sub-section (1) to the concerned household as expeditiously as possible.
Disentitlement 9. An applicant whO'- to receive unemployment allowance in certain circumstances.
(a) does not accept the employment provided to his household under a Scheme;
or
5SEC.l] mE GAZEnE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY
(b) does not report for work within fifteen days of being notified by the Programme Officer or the implementing agency to report for the work; or
(c) continuously remains absent from work, without obtaining a permission from the concerned implementing agency for a period of more than one week or remains absent for a total period of more than one week in any month, shall not be eligible to claim the unemployment allowance payable under this Act for a period of three months but shall be eligible to seek employment under the Scheme at any time.
CHAPTERN IMPLEMENTING AND MONITORING AUTHORrrIES