Create conducive environment for workers, says Labour Minister

Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today called for creating a conducive environment for workers and to recognise and respect dignity of labour in the backdrop of government's 'Make in India' programme.
"There is an urgent need to create a conducive environment for the workforce and recognize and respect dignity of labour, said Dattatreya at a conference on 'Make in India: Creating Labour Architecture for Sustainability and Growth' at FICCI.
Speaking about the various initiatives undertaken by his ministry for creating a favourable atmosphere for both industry and workers, the minister said that the recently launched 'Shram Shuvidha Portal' would facilitate ease of reporting at one place for various labour laws, consolidated information of labour inspection and its enforcement.

The portal would enhance convenience of reporting, transparency in labour inspection and monitoring of labour inspection based on key performances indices and provide an effective Grievances Redressal System.
He said that amendments have also been made in the Apprentices Act, 1961 and Labour Laws (Exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers) Act, 1988 to promote skill development.
India needs to fulfill the aspirations of its youth and it was imperative to impart training and impart skill to workers to make them employable, not only in India but also across the globe, he said.
The minister pointed out that skill sets of Indian workers were very low, hence a MoU was signed with Germany, which possess one of the best skill sets in the world, to impart training to Indian workers.

He said that the government was also focusing on unorganised sector which comprised 93 per cent of the workforce. The government was extending its social security schemes to this sector in areas such as healthcare and old age pension.