|
Major Policy Initiatives and Decisions
(BULLET POINTS)
Ministry of Labour
· The rate of interest 9.5 per cent, on Employees Provident Fund amount of subscribers for 2002-03 and 2003-04 as recommended by the Central Board of Trustees.
· About 20.000 establishments with six lakh members brought within the purview of the Employees Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
· Rs. 1,894.82 crore recovered as EPF dues from the defaulting establishments.
· “Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana”, the first of its kind, launched to provide unemployment allowance to workers during involuntary unemployment
· Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) increases eligibility wage ceiling from Rs.6500 to Rs.7500 netting in about 1.10 lakh more workers
· ESI Scheme extended to new geographical areas bringing in 1.50 lakh additional employees within its coverage; additional 8,000 factories and establishments brought within its coverage following intensive surveys in implemented areas.
· ESI Scheme extended to educational institutions as also to all municipal corporations, municipalities, cantonment board areas and other notified town areas.
· The Payment of Wages Act, 1936 being amended prescribing more stringent grievance redressal machinery for workers.
· Amending of the Factories Act to allow women to work in night shifts with adequate safeguards approved.
· Housing subsidy per unit for beedi workers doubled; eligibility ceiling also increased.
· One time grant of Rs. 2 crore to be given to State governments, ESIC and NGOs for construction of hospitals for beedi workers.
· Five hundred existing ITIs, to be upgraded for imparting skills to workers to meet international standards; upgradation of 100 it is already taken up by mobilizing internal resources; new ITIs sanctioned in Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern States.
· Tripartite consultation process further strengthened to deal with workers’ issue.
· One hundred more National Child Labour Projects launched to rehabilitate children withdrawn from work.
· ESIC medical relief teams deployed to Tsunami affected areas for providing emergency medical services including free supply of drugs and dressings to the affected people.
BSC/SB/LG
|
