Actively considering to amend labour laws: Govt

Sai said,'The inter-ministerial/public/tripartite consultations is in progress'

Government today said it is "actively" considering amendments to various labour laws for which tripartite consultations are in progress.

"The government is actively considering amendments in Child Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1986, Factories Act 1948, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Apprenticeship Act 1961 and Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act 1988.

"The inter-ministerial/public/tripartite consultations is in progress," said Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Vishnu Deo Sai in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

He said amendments in labour laws are considered keeping in view the socio-economic changes in the country as well as other parts of the world with an intention to improving economic wellbeing of the workers and the need to provide a safe, decent working environment harmonised with the need of the economy to be productive and competitive.

Replying to another question on whether the Centre has taken note of the recent reforms enacted by Rajasthan government in labour laws by offering more flexibility to companies, Sai said his ministry has not received any "formal" proposal from Rajasthan government for amending various labour laws.

On a question whether trade unions are of the view that more than 40 central labour laws, which are inconsistent with each other, need to clubbed, Sai said no such proposal has been received by his ministry from Central Trade Unions.

Replying to yet another question, he said to promote participation of women in craftsmen training, state governments have been advised to implement recommendations of National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) to reserve 30 per cent seats for women in general Industrial Training Institutes.

He said under state sector, vocational training facilities for Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) are provided through a network of 11,001 ITIs spread across the country with a seating capacity of 15,52,452.

"According to information available, 1013 ITIs (both government and private) have women wings to offer training solely to women. Further 418 are exclusively for women (Women ITIs) including both government and private. The total seating capacity of both the women wings and women ITIs is about 82,390 training seats," Sai said.