PENSION SYSTEM
FOR UNORGANISED WORKERS BEING FIRMED UP, SAYS K.C. PANT
CENTRE
CONTEMPLATING SOCIAL SECURITY CARD AND NUMBER FOR ALL WORKERS,
SAYS LABOUR MINISTER
A pension system for the unorganised
workers is being firmed up following announcement made in the
union budget for 2001-02. This was disclosed by the Dy. Chairman
of the Planning Commission, Shri K.C. Pant while inaugurating
a National Seminar on Unorganised labour here today. He said that
it would be useful to frame a perspective plan for social security
coverage of all workers in the country in a time frame of 15 to
20 years. He said that the perspective plan should clearly identify
the role of employers, workers and their organisations, the Central
and State Governments. Shri Pant said that bringing reforms to
the agriculture sector is a core element of the 10th
Plan. Advocating review of rules, regulations and procedures,
the Dy. Chairman called for expeditious removal of barriers that
stifle the entrepreneurial urges of the workers in the unorganised
sector. He said " proper kinds of public investment and policy
reforms would be able to unleash tremendous entrepreneurial energy
in the rural sector, which would create opportunities not only
for our farmers, but also in non-farm rural activities." There
can be no better method than this of providing sustainable social
protection, he added. Recognising the critical role of the unorganised
sector in the economy, Shri Pant said that considerable emphasis
has been laid in the Plan on vocationalisation of education and
inculcating the dignity of labour within the educational process.
Referring to contractualisation of jobs, the Dy. Chairman said
that there should be a system in place or employers or contractors
must mandatorily agree to provide welfare and social security
cover to the contract labour.
Presiding over the function the Labour Minister
Dr. Sahib Singh said that policy choices regarding unorganised
sector have to be designed within the frame work of ‘growth with
a human face’. He said that an Umbrella Legislation for welfare
of workers in the unorganised sector would be introduced in the
Parliament during the budget session. Dr. Sahib said that it would
be the Labour Ministry’s effort to get it passed during the budget
session itself. The Labour Minister said that the first step in
extending the reach of social security measures to workers in
the informal sector is the identification of beneficiaries. He
said that the government is contemplating the introduction of
the social security number and social security cards to all workers
in the unorganised sector. He said that there is a need for rationalisation
of labour laws and called for operation of all social partners
in this regard. He said that there is also a need to integrate
various existing welfare schemes for workers. He urged the trade
unions to extend their activities to unorganised workers.
The Minister of State for Labour Shri Ashok Pradhan
said that employment trends indicate that the importance and magnitude
of the unorgnised sector is going to increase in coming years.
He said that it is all the more important to devise social security
and measures for this sector on priority.
The two days seminar is being attended by the
Labour Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, Labour Secretary
Dr. P.D. Shenoy, Representatives of State Governments, Employers,
Trade Unions and NGOs working for the welfare of the unorganised
workers. The seminar, organised jointly by the Directorate General
Labour Welfare and V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, will focus
on Umbrella Legislation for unorganised workers, social security
and skill-upgradation.
