India backs ILO's social support floor but with 'resources' rider

NEW DELHI: India has expressed support for the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) proposal for a social protection floor for the vulnerable, but wants it to be linked to a country’s financial resources. “Each country should decide the level of its social protection floor, which should be closely linked to the country’s financial resources, employment strategy and other social policies,” Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said at the 100th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva on Monday.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, in his report on ‘a new era of social justice’ being discussed at the conference, has proposed that building a social protection floor for the most vulnerable, consistent with ILO’s initiative in this area , will help achieve more income-led growth. Kharge said while it was desirable to have floor levels for social protection, there should not be any timelines. Member countries of the ILO meet annually at the International Labour Conference to address concerns related to labour. Each country’s delegation comprises two government delegates, an employer delegate, a worker delegate and their advisers.

India recognises the fact that social protection is an investment that enhances the productivity of workers in the long run, Kharge said, adding that the country had launched a campaign to provide basic healthcare facilities to workers in the unorganised sector, who account for 94% of the country’s workforce, through its flagship programme – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. “Labour welfare funds have been set up and the unorganised workers social security Act 2008 has been introduced to provide social protection measures to the informal sector workers,” he said. Somavia’s report also highlighted the need for emerging economies with resources to progressively expand the coverage of targeted programmes for jobseekers to ensure full coverage within a reasonable time period.

The minister said that India had been reasonably successful in efforts to generate adequate employment opportunities for informal workers in the rural areas through implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme. He said the government had launched a programme for skill development and technical training. A new national skill development initiative has been launched to empower individuals through improved skills, knowledge, nationally and internationally recognised qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure India’s competitiveness in the global market. “India has set a target of creating 500 million skilled workers by 2022,” he said.