Page 4 - Labor

Farmers have to pay Rs 100 per month under pension scheme

Farmers in the country are expected to contribute Rs 100 per month under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana that seeks to provide minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 on attainment of 60 years of age, the Union Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday.

Govt reduces ESI contribution rate to 4pc, industry to save Rs 5K Cr annually

The government Thursday announced a cut in contributions made by employers and employees toward the health insurance scheme of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to 4 per cent from the existing 6.5 per cent, a move which would lead to an estimated annual saving of around Rs 5,000 crore for firms. The reduced rates will be effective from July 1, 2019, the Labour Ministry said in a release. This would benefit 3.6 crore employees and 12.85 lakh employers. "The government has taken a historic decision to reduce the rate of contribution under the Employees' State Insurance Act from 6.5 per cent to 4 per cent (employers' contribution being reduced from 4.75 per cent to 3.25 per cent and employees' contribution being reduced from 1.75 per cent to 0.75 per cent)," the ministry said. As many as 12.85 lakh employers and 3.6 crore employees contributed Rs 22,279 crore towards the ESI scheme in 2018-19. Back of the envelop calculations suggest that reduction in the contribution rate ..

Centre reduces ESI contribution rate from 6.5 to 4%

The Centre on Thursday reduced the rate of contribution under the ESI Act from 6.5 per cent to 4 per cent, with employers' contribution being reduced from 4.75 to 3.25 per cent and employees' contribution from 1.75 to 0.75 per cent.Reduced rates will be effective from July 1, an officials statement said, adding that the reduction would benefit 3.6 crore employees and 12.85 lakh employers.The reduced rate of contribution will bring about a substantial relief to workers and it will facilitate further enrollment of workers under the ESI scheme and bring more and more workforce into the formal sector. Similarly, reduction in the share of contribution of employers will reduce the financial liability of the establishments leading to improved viability of these establishments. This shall also lead to enhanced Ease of Doing business, the statement said.It is also expected that the reduction in the rate of ESI contribution shall lead to improved compliance of the law. The Employees' State ...

PM-Kisan Pension: Farmers' contribution to be Rs 100/month

Farmers will have to contribute Rs 100 per month under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana that seeks to provide minimum fixed monthly pension of Rs 3,000 on attainment of 60 years, according to the government. The central government will also contribute an equal amount to the pension fund to be managed by the LIC, which will be responsible for the pension payout, it said. The Modi 2.0 government in its first cabinet meeting had approved a separate pension scheme for farmers with an aim to cover 5 crore beneficiaries in the first three years, which would cost the exchequer Rs 10,774.5 crore per annum. Discussing the new scheme with state agriculture ministers through a video conference, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged all states and union territories to roll out the programme at the earliest. Tomar urged the states to start enrolling farmers in the age group of 18-40 years besides taking measures to create awareness about the scheme, an official statement ...

Adani Australia gets final environmental approval for Carmichael mine

The approval states that the plan complies with all regulatory conditions set by the Australian and State Governments, bringing to a close a two-year process of rigorous scientific inquiry, review and approvals. This includes relevant reviews by Australia's pre-eminent scientific organisations CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.

More than 3,200 workers at Chile state-run miner Codelco to strike

More than 3,200 workers at Chile's huge Chuquicamata copper mine are to go on strike after union-management talks broke down, state-run miner Codelco the world's largest copper producer said. The company said in a statement on Wednesday it regretted the decision of the workers, who decided to reject an improved contract offer after talks aimed at averting the strike. "The company regrets the decision of the assembly. The offer made by Codelco is serious, responsible and realistic," it said. The breakdown follows two weeks of talks between management and three unions representing the workers at the giant mine. The company's initial offer, which was rejected, included a 1.2 percent salary increase and a one-time benefits package worth almost USD 14,000. Unions said it did not respond to workers' concerns over medical expenses and pensions. An improved company offer on Wednesday was also rejected. Codelco chief Nelson Pizarro had expressed optimism at the outset of the talks. Located ..

509 per cent rise in cases under child labour law: Study

There has been a 509 per cent increase in the number of cases registered under the child labour law since 2017, according to a research study on child labour by Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation (KSCF).

World Day against Child Labour: Children hold 'Baal Parliament' in Delhi

A 'Baal Panchayat' (Children's Parliament) was organised in the capital by Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation here on Wednesday on the occasion of World Day against Child Labour.The event saw the participation of 80 children across the country.Children presented a charter of demands in the children's parliament which they wished to convey to the government of India. The children appealed to the new Government at the Centre for the elimination of child labour and trafficking in the country through effective implementation and time-bound action of laws and make District administration totally accountable.The participants at the congregation expressed concern over under-reporting of the abuses of child labour across the country and said that tackling the menace should be included in the Government's proposed 100-day action plan.Child leaders from Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and victims of child labour and trafficking discussed a charter of demands .

Bihar Govt extends the validity of TET, STET certificates; benefits nearly 80,000

Bihar Government on Wednesday decided to extend the validity of employment certificates of candidates who qualified Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and Special Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) in 2012.TET and STET certificates, which are valid for the span of seven years, will now be accepted for two more years under this decision.The move by the Bihar Government will benefit nearly 82,180 candidates.The validity of employment certificates of these candidates expired in the month of May and June this year.Earlier in May this year, the Supreme Court refused to regularise the services of nearly 4 lakh contractual workers and set aside the Patna High Court ruling that they were eligible to get equal pay for equal work.

Bihar govt extends validity of TET, STET certificates by 2 years

Bihar government on Wednesday extended the validity of employment certificates of nearly 82,180 candidates, who passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and Special Teacher Eligibility Test (STET), for 2 more years.The Janata Dal (United)- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to extend the validity of employment certificates of the candidates who passed the exams in 2012.While the certificates of TET candidates had expired in May, those of the STET candidates were scheduled to expire in June.

Multi pronged strategy adopted by Centre to combat child labour: Heeralal Samariya

On World Day against Child Labour, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and V.V. Giri National Labour Institute in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation, New Delhi organised a 'Technical Consultation on Evolving Strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal, Target 8.7 and Elimination of Child Labour in India'.The theme of World Day against Child Labour for the year 2019 is 'Children shouldn't Work in Fields, but on Dreams' which focuses on the importance of ending child labour and calls for evolving strategies to end child labour, read a statement from Ministry of Labour and Employment.Speaking on the occasion, Heeralal Samariya, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said the government is adopting a multi-prong strategy to combat the problem of child labour and emphasized on the importance of implementation of the various acts and rules to eliminate the child labour.He said the ideal place for a child is school and not work. The secretary shared .

India can eradicate child labour with proper enforcement of laws, says official

India can eradicate child labour with proper enforcement and implementation of laws and by creating awareness among public, a senior government official said Wednesday. "There are laws to protect children from working. There is Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, Pencil portal etc but still we find children working in agriculture fields, glass making units, carpet making units, households. "This means somewhere we are not acting at field-level...somewhere we are failing to enforce the laws," Heeralal Samariya, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment said. Speaking at an event to mark World Day Against Child Labour, he said a lot more needs to be done to eradicate the social evil even though the number of working children has significantly come down. As per census data, the number of working children in the age group of 5-14 years has come down to 1.01 crore in 2011, from 1.26 crore in 2001. He also requested the members of the civil society, working organisations, NGOs .

C'gh to allot road building works to youths from naxal areas

In a bid to provide employment to youths from naxal-hit areas, particularly in Bastar division, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh has decided to allot them road construction work contracts. This decision was taken by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a review meeting of the Public Works Department (PWD) held at Mantralaya here Tuesday, an official said Wednesday. The priority of the government is to provide employment to youths, especially to those living in Maoist-affected areas, to dissuade them from joining naxal ranks, the official quoted the chief minister as saying. "Hence, the contracts for all the construction projects should be awarded to local youths in the naxal-hit areas. Divide the proposed and ongoing road projects in small parts and assign them to youths or groups of youths for its construction. Besides, repair and patch works should also be given to them," Baghel said. All these projects should be monitored by engineers and other technical officers .

Trainee cop pledges to create awareness on child labour

Twenty two-year-old Rohit Mahato cannot wait for his training period to end at the Bihar Police Academy, not only because he is eager to join the service, but being a part of the force would give him an opportunity to take on a social menace, which was a part of his childhood plight. At all of 15, Mahato had to give up studies and migrate to Surat in Gujarat from his hometown in Bihars West Champaran district to work at a zari hub and fund his familys basic needs. He would toil for seven to eight hours every day to earn anything between Rs 8,000-10,000 per month. The teenager along with many of his age had to also cook food and make arrangements for bed in the factory building itself. "Our wages would depend on the kind of work we did in a day. There were days when I would find no time to contact my family, " he said. At the police academy, a spirited Mahato says he wants to bury his past, but not shy away from making every possible effort to reach out to more and more .

Government to pare existing 44 labour laws into four

In a major push to labour reforms, the government is all set to pare existing 44 labour laws into four and a Bill will be tabled in Parliament in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha beginning June 17.

Blacklisted Polish woman tweets to Modi, Shah seeking return to India

A Polish woman and her 11-year-old daughter, who have been blacklisted by the Ministry of External Affairs over visa-related discrepancies, on Tuesday pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow them to enter India so that the daughter can continue her education in Goa.

C'garh: Bijapur collector imposes dress code on govt staff

The collector of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district Tuesday barred government staff from wearing "T-shirts, jeans and clothes with provocative colours" to office. In a circular issued here, Collector KD Kunjam said officials and employees were to attend office in formals or prescribed uniforms, an official said. "It is being noticed officials and employees of the district administration have been wearing T-shirts, jeans and clothes with provocative colours in place of formals to office. As per rules, government personnel should wear clothes which are simple in appearance," the order said. It said some Class IV employees were not wearing designated uniforms while at work despite claiming uniform and washing allowance, it added. "Officials and employees of district administration should come to office in formal and simple dresses and class four employees in their uniforms," it said.

Govt planning new labour legislation by merging 44 laws under 4 categories

Aimed at helping investors and accelerating growth, the Modi government is planning a new labour legislation that would merge 44 labour laws under four categories-- wages, social security, industrial safety and welfare, and industrial relations. The decision has been taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar, Commerce and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal among others. "A new Labour Bill will be introduced in the coming session of the Parliament," Gangwar told reporters Tuesday after the hour-long meeting. Gangwar said the draft bill will be placed before the Union Cabinet after which it will be introduced in Lok Sabha, possibly in the second week of the coming Parliament session. "All major labour unions in the country were consulted by the government for the new labour laws," he said. The four categories will deal with wages, social security, industrial safety and welfare,

IIM professor V Ravi Anshuman appointed part-time member of SEBI

IIM professor V Ravi Anshuman was on Tuesday appointed a part-time member in the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), an order issued by Personnel Ministry said. Anshuman is at present posted as a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He has been appointed to the post for a period of three years or until the age of seventy years, the order said.

Raj govt approves salary increment proposal for edu faculty who missed benefits of 6th pay panel

The Rajasthan government on Monday approved a proposal to provide a salary increment to the category of lecturers, physical education teachers and librarians who did not receive the sixth pay commission benefits. The decision, taken by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will benefit 456 lecturers, physical education teachers and librarians posted at various government colleges in the state, according to an official statement. The teachers will get the actual benefit from July 1, 2013, the statement added. The teachers who were earlier not provided the salary benefits due to technical issues when other state government employees received the sixth pay commission benefits from January 1, 2006 will get the salary increment. The chief minister also approved creation of senior guard post to provide appropriate promotion opportunities to employees of Rajasthan Jail Allied Service, the statement said. He also approved hike in pay for those appointed on Jailer, Deputy Jailer and Chief Guard and ...