CONTENTS Preface; CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION; Problems of Indian labour; 1) Illiteracy; 2) Poverty; 3) Abundance of labour; 4) Wicked nature of Employers; 5) Lack of Organisation on the part of the Government; 6) Lack of Organisation of labours; Wage Concepts; 1) Living Wage; 2) Fair Wage; 3) Minimum Wage; Evolution of Minimum Wages in India; The Labour Investigation Committee; Salient Features of the Act; Observation of the Fair Wages; Committee On the Minimum Wages; CHAPTER II. MINIMUM WAGES ACT IN OPERATION; Part – A; Procedures for fixing Minimum Wages; The Minimum Wage Committees; Principles for Fixing a Minimum Wage; Comparability of concerns; Need based wages and living wage; Presentation of efficiency of workmen; Financial stability of the employer; Availability of labour; CHAPTER II. ATTEMPTS MADE BY COURTS IN UPHOLDING THE MINIMUM WAGES ACT; Part - B Constitutional Validity of the Minimum Wages Act; The enforcement of the Act; Powers of Inspectors; Central Government Reports on the Working of Minimum Wages Act; Assessment of the working of the Minimum Wage Act by the National Commission On Labour; CHAPTER III MINIMUM WAGES ACT - PIT FALLS; 1) Absence of a definition of ~MinimumWage'; 2) Discretion with the Government; Defects in the implementation of the Minimum Wages Act; 1) Powers of the Authority under Section 20; 2) Experiences of Enforcement Officers; 3) Tables - 1, 2, 3 & 4. Minimum Wages Act a complete Code itself ?; CHAPTER - IV MINIMUM WAGES ACT - IN THE SHOPS AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN BANGALORE; 1) Table – 5; 2) Table – 6; 3) Table – 7; 4) Table – 8; 5) Table – 9; CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION Effect of inadequate wages alternative scheme of minimum wages; 1. A National minimum wage; 2. Regional minimum wages; 3. Industry specific minimum wages; Suggestion for better enforcement of the minimum wages act, 1948; BIBLIOGRAPHY; Books; Journals; Reports.