Patiala, May 2 -- Labour rights activists on Friday claimed that the 15% hike in minimum wages was "too little, too late" and fellshort of expectations amid rising inflation and the high cost of living. Labour rights activist Vijay Walia said, "The Punjab government should have increased the minimum wages by at least 30% so that we could match neighbouring Haryana," he said, adding that workers, particularly in the unorganised sector, were affected. According to data available, despite the hike, Punjab still trails neighbouring Haryana in terms of minimum wages. "The minimum wage for an unskilled worker in Punjab now stands at Rs.13,486 compared to Rs.15,220 in Haryana, a gap of Rs.1,735," he said. Punjab hadn't revised the base rate of minimum wages since 2012, despite the legal requirement to review it every five years under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936. Another labour expert, Sardara Singh, echoed similar concerns, calling the revision inadequate. "This is a classic case of too little, too late. The revision should have happened in 2017 and again in 2022. Because of this delay, the actual benefit to workers is minimal despite the long gap," he said....