Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Centre has taken initiatives to abolish laws from “the period of slavery” that reflect slavery mentality.
He was inaugurating the two-day National Labour Conference, a meeting of Labour Ministers and Labour Secretaries from Union Territories and States in Tirupati.
He said the country is now changing, reforming and simplifying such labour laws and justified the decision to convert 29 labour laws into four “simple labour codes”. “This will ensure empowerment of workers through minimum wages, job security, social security, and health security,” Mr. Modi added.
The Prime Minister said there is a need to change as per the changing scenario. He said the country must take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution by taking quick decisions and implementing them rapidly. He said the country must be positive towards the scope of platform and gig economy and online facilities, which have become the emerging dimensions of work. “Right policies and efforts in this area will help in making India a global leader,” the Prime Minister said.
‘Right use of women power’
He said the future needs flexible workplaces, a work from home ecosystem and flexible work hours and systems like flexible workplaces should be considered as opportunities for women’s labour force participation. “By making the right use of women power, India can achieve its goals faster,” he said. “We can take advantage of global opportunities by creating a high-quality skilled workforce,” he said commenting on the demographic dividend the country has.
He asked the States to make full use of the construction workers’ cess that has been provided for them. “I have been told that out of this cess, about ₹ 38,000 crore has still not been utilised by the States,” he added. He said several such schemes have helped the workers during the pandemic.
“The Emergency Credit Guarantee Scheme, according to a study, saved 1.5 crore jobs during the pandemic,” he said and added that the workers have put their full strength to help the country recover from the economic toll of the pandemic. “India has once again become the fastest growing economy in the world, so a lot of credit goes to our workers,” he said.
