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India has sought ILO’s active cooperation in extending social security and other welfare measures to workers particularly in the unorganised sector. The Labour and Employment Minister Shri Sis Ram Ola told the visiting Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Shri Juan Somavia here today that the ILO should assist in a conducting a time bound-study for evolving a model to provide social security cover to workers. He said that India also wants the ILO to help in evolving a common approach among those countries whose workers emigrate for jobs abroad.
Shri Somavia called for change in criteria for determining economic development from growth rate to job creation. He said that the approach has to be shifted from mere welfare to asset creation. Shri Somavia said that and we would like to emulate India’s experience in workers welfare like social security, tripartiteism and employment generation schemes in the global context. Shri Somavia said that India and the ILO have a fruitful cooperation in ending child labour. The Labour and Employment Secretary Shri K.M.Sahni and other senior officials briefed Shri Somavia on various programmes of the government for welfare of workers.
Earlier, Shri Somavia and the Labour Secretary Shri Sahni jointly unveiled a statue symbolizing action against Child Labour at the India Habitat Centre on Friday evening. Praising India’s action against child labour, Shri Somavia welcomed government’s commitment to eradicate child labour from hazardous occupations by 2007. He said ILO considers India’s experience in tackling the issue as valuable. He appealed to all partners and sections to come together in tackling this problem.
The Labour Secretary referred to the Government’s commitment to send all children to school and said that there has been a phenomenal increase in financial outlay in the 10th plan to eradicate child labour. He said that the National Child Labour Project has been extended to another 150 districts taking their total number to 250. Shri Sahni said that another $14 million project has been launched recently in 5 states jointly by the Government of India and the ILO. Both projects are involved in providing special education to children released from work before putting them into mainstream education.
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