Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar said here on Wednesday that the Central and State governments had to work together to make progress in the labour and employment sector.
Regional meet
The Union Minister was speaking at the inauguration of a day-long regional conference of Labour Ministers and Principal Secretaries (Labour) of south Indian States here.
Ministers and representatives from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep participated in the meet.
The Minister said the Union Government had launched a programme to ensure pension for those self-employed operating small businesses.
The Minister said it would be possible to provide pension benefits to around 40 crore workers in the unorganised sector through the programmes being introduced by the Union Government.
The workers could also avail themselves of better medical facilities through the ESI scheme, he added.
Kerala Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan, who delivered the introductory speech at the meet, said the State Government would improve the investment atmosphere to generate more employment.
He said employment could be generated by protecting the public sector and encouraging private investment.
He shared his anxieties regarding the proposed wage and labour codes being implemented by the Union Government.
Heera Lal Samariya, Union Labour Secretary, praised Kerala for the big role played by its women workers in the labour sector in the State.
A statement issued by the State Department of Public Relations cited the Union Government official as lauding the State for the work it was doing in the ESI sector as well.
National average
While the national average for women’s participation in the labour sector ranged between 18% and 20%, it was 48% in the State, the official said.
ESI sector
Women had substantial participation in the ESI sector too, it added.
