Living wage
Also called: Article 43 · Topic: Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Article 43 asks the State to secure a living wage for all workers. A living wage is pay that allows a decent life, with leisure and social and cultural opportunities. It is the highest of three wage levels described by the Fair Wages Committee (1948):
- A minimum wage covers bare needs.
- A fair wage sits in the middle.
- A living wage ranks above both.
This part of Art. 43 is a socialistic directive, aimed at economic justice.
Example
The Code on Wages 2019 came into force on 21 November 2025. It absorbed the Minimum Wages Act 1948 and set a national floor wage. This is a step towards the Art. 43 goal, although a floor wage is still well below a living wage.
Don't confuse with
- Cottage industries (also Art. 43): the same article asks the State to promote rural cottage industries. That part is Gandhian, not socialistic, and is a common exam trap.
- Minimum wage: a legal lower limit for bare survival, not the "decent life" standard of a living wage.
Related concepts
- Socialistic principles
- Social order based on justice
- Equitable distribution of material resources
- Adequate means of livelihood
- Equal pay for equal work
- Protection against economic exploitation
- Right to work, education and public assistance
- Workers' participation in management