The Preisent of India, Mrs.Prathiba Singh Patil, in her address to the joint session of parliament on June 4 2009 had announced that the government will bring out Reports to the People on Health, Education, Environment, Infrastructure and Employment. The Ministry of Labour and Employment was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the Annual Report to the People on Employment for a national debate. The Report available at the Ministry's website "focus national attention on the important issue of generation of productive and sustainable employment for all."
The Report says:"the government is committed to providing access to skill and training so that people can contribute fully to nation building." The Report highlights the problems faced by the socially disadvantaged groups in the labour market and also demonstrates how employment can become a powerful instrument of social inclusion.
In his forward note Mr.Prabhat C Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment writes:'Active government policies such as the provision of gainful employment for the working poor under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act have played a critical role in strengthening the ability of our economy to face global challenges."
The Report says that given the very low proportion of skilled workers, a suitable and workable frame work to enhance the employability of workers is essential. The same can be achieved by providing training to workers at various levels with emphasis on recognizing local skills and certifying informally acquired skills along with the expansion of skill development institutions. The report also argues for rationalization of labour laws and broadening the ambit of labour reforms for achieving equitable employment growth. It sets out short-term and medium-term strategies to ensure gainful employment opportunities for all the working people with particular emphasis on the disadvantaged sections.
The Report identifies existing and potential sources of 'exclusion' of various population groups during the recent years' development process. It also highlights initiatives taken by the government for 'inclusion' of the 'excluded.' Labour being in the Concurrent list of the Constitution, the Report view pro-active and co-ordinated actions by the Central and State governments as essential for generating quality and sustainable employment.
The Report is based mainly on secondary sources of data. Demographic information is obtained from Census of India and information on labour market is based on the employment and unemployment surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Organization(NSSO). Annual reports of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and few other Ministries of the Government of India and Five Year Plan documents have also been used for analyzing various initiatives taken by the Government and documenting the targets and achievements to meet the overall objective of employment growth with distributive justice.
Useful read for those interested in labour issues, employment and government policies.
No comments:
Post a Comment