Labour ministry cuts down number of registers from 56 to just five; offers free downloads for easy digitisation

COIMBATORE: The Centre has simplified Labour department procedures related to maintaining registers so as to give benefit to nearly 4.54 crore non-agriculture sector establishments, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said today.

The ministry had brought down the number of registers to five from 56 with the regard to nine Central Labour Laws and this would save efforts, cost and lessen the compliance burden on these establishments, he said.

Speaking at an interaction meeting with employers and employees of textile industry here, he said this had been done to do away with overlapping fields in the laws.

Similarly the Ministry would develop a software, which will be put on the 'Shram Suvidha Portal' for free download with an aim to facilitate maintenance of the registers in a digitised form, Dattatreya said.

The laws include, Building and Other Construction workers Act 1996, Minimum wages act 1948 and The Working Journalists and other Newspapers employees (condition of Service) Act 1955, he said.

Responding to the demand on long pending ESI Hospital in Tirupur, he announced that a 100-bedded hospital at a cost of Rs.150 crore will be set up in the hosiery town.

Land for the hospital had already been acquired, he said adding similar 100-bed hospitals will be set up at six places in Tamil Nadu soon.

ESI service scheme would be extended to all the districts in the country from 393 districts now.