Labour minister Oscar Fernandes has asked India Inc to be a partner of the government to ensure inclusive growth and said the industry must be proactive in offering employment to the less privileged, at all levels of the job ladder.
Emphasising that the employer and employee have to work together in tandem to achieve the common objective of prosperity, he said that the industry must consider investing in people and their skills.
The minister said that we must put an end to the debate whether the growing economy has India or ?Bharat?. Stating that India is Bharat, he said that the government is committed to work with industry for the transformation of country’s economic and social landscape. He said that employment generation is an important pillar of any strategy for inclusive growth.
?While our government will continue to create a friendly atmosphere for the growth of manufacturing, at the same time, leaders of industry must also facilitate employment creation in their industries. In a modern, democratic society, business must assume wider social responsibility,? the minister said speaking at the 42nd session of the standing labour committee (SLC).
Referring to the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, the minister said that while trade unions have demanded that the act should be amended to provide for automatic absorption of contract labour, the employers’ organisations are vehemently opposed to it on the grounds that such a step would lead to capital-intensive measures like mechanisation and automation. It would result in fall in employment.
The minister also highlighted the importance of equipping the labour force with appropriate skills to suit the changing requirements of the industry.
Enumerating the steps to improve the skill development of the labour force, the minister informed that the government has initiated the steps for upgradation of industrial training institutes (ITIs) into centres of excellence.
