UPSC CSE Prelims 2021
Statement 2 is correct. The Code on Wages, 2019, consolidates laws relating to wages and applies to all employees, including casual workers. It mandates entitlements such as regular working hours, weekly rest, and payment for overtime work.
Statement 3 is correct. The Payment of Wages Act, 1936, as amended by the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Act, 2017, empowers the appropriate government to specify, by notification, that wages to employees in any establishment or industry shall be paid only through bank account or by cheque. This provision aims to promote transparency and reduce cash transactions.
Statement 1 is incorrect. Not all casual workers are covered under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. Coverage under EPF is generally mandatory for establishments employing 20 or more persons. Many casual workers are employed in establishments that do not meet this threshold or are engaged in the informal sector, thus falling outside the mandatory EPF coverage.