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Industrial Relations & Labour
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Assignment on 8th & 9th Five Year
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Submitted to- Deepa Mishra
Submitted by- Hiral Munuvar- 09066
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Pankti Chauhan- 09072
Dipali Thacker- 09106

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Tolani Institute of Management Studies,
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 Industrial Relations

Empowerment of women and development of children

INTRODUCTION:

Women and children, who represent more than two third (67.7 per
cent) of the country's total population, constitute the most important target
groups in the context of the present day developmental planning. Therefore,
their concerns are placed on the priority list of the country's developmental
agenda. Needless to say, they have the strength and support of the
Constitution.

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

The principles of gender equality and equity and protection of women's

rights have been the prime concerns in Indian thinking right from the days
of Independence. Accordingly, the country's concern in safeguarding the
rights and privileges of women found its best expression in the Constitution
of India. In the earlier phase of developmental planning, the concept of
women's development was mainly `welfare' oriented. During the Sixties,
women's education received priority along with the measures to improve
maternal and child health and nutrition services. During the Seventies,
there was a definite shift in the approach from `welfare' to `development'
which started recognising women as participants of development. The
Eighties adopted a multi-disciplinary approach with a special thrust on the
three core sectors of health, education and employment. Accordingly,
priority was given to implementation of programmes for women under
different sectors of agriculture and its allied activities of dairying, poultry,
small animal husbandry, handlooms, handicrafts, small scale industries etc.
Recognising the role and contribution of women in development, the early
Nineties made a beginning in concentrating on training-cum-employment
cum-income generation programmes for women with the ultimate objective
of making them economically independent and self-reliant.

Health and Family Welfare

The Ninth Plan recognises the special health needs of women and the
girl child and the importance of enhancing easy access to primary health
care. There are many indicators to point out that the neglect of health needs
of women especially that of the pregnant women, adolescent girls and girl-
babies, is responsible for the present high rates of IMR/CMR/MMR.

1
Therefore, a holistic approach with Reproductive Child Health (RCH)
measures will be adopted in improving the health status of women by
focussing on their age-specific needs.

Taking into account their multiple roles including the physical labour
that women in the lower strata of the society living in the backward rural
areas and urban slums have to carry on, efforts will be made to ensure that
the health services become more responsive towards women-specific health
problems. In this direction, the major strategy will be to increase women's
access to appropriate, affordable and user-friendly health care services.
Special attention will also be paid to occupational health hazards. The
present strategy extending primary health care services for all through the
Special Action Plan of 1998 is expected to fill the critical gaps in the existing
primary health care infrastructure and make it more effective to reach
'Health Care Services for All' with a priority to the rural and urban poor
living below the poverty line.

To achieve the expected level of 50/1000 of IMR and 3/1000 of MMR

by 2002 AD, if current trend continues, the Ninth Plan accords high priority
to reproductive child health care and proposes an integrated approach with
ante-natal, natal and post-natal care and child health services. In this
context, the Ninth Plan identifies the long-standing gap of non-availability of
data on maternal mortality and suggests that the Office of the Registrar
General and Census Commissioner, New Delhi should initiate action in
making the data on the maternal mortality available on a regular basis like
that of IMR, as the same is a pre-requisite for planning both need-based and
area-based strategies to reduce the existing high rate of maternal mortality.

Work and Employment

There is an urgent need to revive the special project of `Gender

Sensitization of 1991 Census' to capture women's work in the informal
sector in a more substantial way in the coming Census of 2001 AD. In this
regard, there is a need to consider redefining the `concept of work' and
provide conceptual clarity to the `definition of work' by the Census and
NSSO. The Ninth Plan also envisages the preparation of Satellite Accounts to
highlight Women's Work through appropriate methodologies,consistent with
the National Accounts.

Keeping in view the ultimate objective of fulfilling the 'Right to work

for every citizen', special efforts will be made to generate gainful employment
through promotion/expansion of both wage and self employment
opportunities for women so as to make all potential women economically

2
independent and self-reliant. In this context, the ongoing training- cum –
employment – cum - income-generation programmes viz. Integrated Rural
Development Programme (IRDP), Training of Rural Youth for Self-
Employment (TRYSEM), Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY), Jawahar Rozgar Yojana
(JRY), Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana (PMRY), Development of Women and
Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Indira Mahila Yojana (IMY), Support for
Training and Employment (STEP), NORAD-assisted Training-cum-
Production Centres (popularly known as NORAD), Socio-Economic
Programme (SEP) etc. will be expanded to create more and more of
employment-cum-income generation opportunities and cover as many
women as possible living below the poverty line. In these efforts, priority will
be given to female-headed households and women in extreme/abject poverty

To increase the share of women in factories and industrial

establishments, efforts will be made to remove the existing traditional bias
that women are good only in stereo-type/feminine jobs and encourage
women to equip themselves with necessary professional/ vocational skills
and compete with men to make an entry into such areas. Simultaneously,
efforts will be put into effect to ensure that the employers fulfil their legal
obligations towards their women workers in extending child care facilities,
maternity benefits, special leave, protection from occupational hazards,
allowing formation of women workers' associations/unions, legal
protection / aid etc. In this context, efforts will also be made to gender
sensitize the Trade Unions to play the role of a watch-dog with regard to
protection of women's rights/interests.

With regard to Women in Services, the Ninth Plan recognises the need
to initiate affirmative action to ensure at least a minimum of 30 per cent of
reservation for women in services in the Public Sector as against the present
low representation of 13.8 per cent in 1997. Efforts will also be made to
ensure up-ward mobility for women in services. To encourage women,
special concessions and relaxations, like multiple entries, enhancement of
upper age limit, need to be extended to ensure adequate representation of
women in services in the public sector. For women to join the Services in a
big way, support services like child care facilities viz. creches/day care
centres at the work places/educational institutions and homes for the aged
and the disabled will be expanded with improved facilities. Also, Hostels for
Working women will be expanded to promote their mobility in the
employment market.

3
Decision-Making

As the representation of women in the decision-making levels has a

direct bearing on all the affirmative actions directed towards their well-being
and empowerment, every effort will be made to ensure that women are in
adequate numbers at the decision-making levels. To this effect, women will
be encouraged with special coaching facilities to compete in the competitive
examinations which provide them a direct entry into the path of decision-
making levels. Similarly, there is also a need for women to be active in
public life and take part in the political decision-making process, as political
decisions/ political will in favour of women can influence a lot in creating an
enabling environment for women to empower themselves. Towards this,
efforts will be made to expedite action to legislate reservation of not less
than 1/3 of the total seats for women both in Parliament and State
Legislative Assemblies.

As economic empowerment of women is mainly related to their

participation in decision-making with regard to raising and distribution of
resources i.e. income, investments and expenditures at all levels, special
efforts will be made to enhance their capacity to earn besides enlarging their
access to and control/ ownership of family/community assets. With access
to economic assets, women will be encouraged to take up self-employment
through various entrepreneurial ventures which are more convenient and
allow them to play their dual role, within and outside home, effectively.

Care and Protection

Welfare and rehabilitative services will continue to be extended for women in

need of care and protection viz. the disabled/deserted/widowed/destitute
and women in difficult circumstances etc. Special programmes will be
designed for both social and economic rehabilitation of Devadasis, Basavis,
Jogins, sex-workers, beggars etc. The plight of those young women and girls,
who migrate to the cities in search of jobs and later become victims of
various circumstances and social/moral danger, will receive special
attention during the Ninth Plan.

Environment

Considering the strong impact of environmental factors on the

sustenance and livelihood of women, special efforts will be made to
ensure/encourage participation of women in the conservation of
environment and the control of environmental degradation through
programmes of social forestry, afforestation and wasteland development etc.
Accordingly, necessary provisions will be made to reflect women's
4
perspectives in the policies and programmes for the management of eco-
system and natural resources. Further, emphasis will be laid on the use of
science and technology to solve environment-related problems like energy
and fuel conservation along with water conservation to ease women's work
in and outside the home. Efforts will also be made for gender sensitization of
forest staff and local communities to involve women's groups in the planning
and management of forest conservation and utilisation of forest produce.

Science and Technology

Application of Science and Technology (S&T) is vital for the

advancement of women as it reduces household drudgery and provides
better working conditions for women, particularly, in rural areas. Therefore,
participation of women/women scientists in S&T activities will be
encouraged in the Ninth Plan at all stages viz. - design, development/
adaptation of alternative technologies, including upgradation of traditional
technologies and identification of those activities for which improved
technologies would be of greater benefit. The criteria for selection of
technology for women will include relief from drudgery - associated tasks,
time saving, increased output and productivity, improved hygiene, energy
efficiency etc. The Ninth Plan, therefore, accords high priority to research
and development (R&D) for exploitation of locally available indigenous
alternative sources of energy for use in the women-related household
activities. To undertake these types of R&D activities, more and more girl
students will be encouraged to get into science streams with attractive
incentives.

Media and Communication

The strategy for Media in the Ninth Plan will be a combination of

efforts to confront/put an end to the negative and stereotyped portrayal and
depiction of women and girls, besides using all types of mass media and
communication resources to change the mindset of the people and the
attitudes/behavioural patterns of people through information, advocacy and
analysis. To this effect, there is an urgent need for adopting a Media Policy
with laid down prescriptions of `do's' and `don'ts' in support of the
constitutional guarantee of upholding women's dignity.

Violence against Women

To deal with the increasing problem of violence against women and

the girl child within and outside the family, a comprehensive approach will
be adopted through a review of all the existing women-specific legislations
and remove the weak links through necessary amendments; effective
5
implementation of the existing legislation with strong punitive measures;
gender-sensitisation of the enforcement machinery to be prompt and strict
in handling the perpetrators of such violence; involvement of community
and the voluntary organisations to act as the informants; and rehabilitation
of, and compensation for, the victims of such violence. Towards this, efforts
will be made to encourage all the States/UTs to initiate annual reviews on
the situation of violence against women both at the State and District levels,
on the lines of the annual reviews at the national level. Setting-
up/strengthening of Women's Cells in the approved Police Stations, family
courts, mahila courts, counselling centres, legal aid centres and nyaya
panchayats, will be attempted as part of the intensive efforts to curb
violence against women. Along with these, there will be widespread
dissemination of information on women's rights, human rights and other
legal entitlements for women, through the specially designed Legal Literacy
Manuals brought out in 1992. Efforts will also be made to include legal
literacy in the curriculum of schools, colleges, and other Training Institutes.

The other measures include strengthening of National/State level

Commissions for Women; appointment of a Commissioner for Women's
Rights who would act as a Public Defender on behalf of women; mobilisation
of voluntary action for gathering public support for the victims of violence
including counselling, relief and rehabilitation; and building up of such an
environment where women and girls can come forward to report to the police
about the acts of violence against them, without any fear of reprisal.

Gender Sensitization

Keeping in view the Ninth Plan commitment of empowering women,

vigorous efforts will be made to accelerate the process of societal
reorientation towards creating a gender-just society. The focus in this regard
will be on both men and women within the family and within the community
to change their negative attitudes and eliminate all types of discrimination
against women and the girl child. In this process, both governmental and
non-governmental organisations are expected to play a big role in utilising
both mass media and other traditional means. Gender sensitization will be
institutionalised within the government training systems through induction
as well as refresher courses. Specially designed gender sensitization
programmes will be conducted on a regular basis with special focus on the
State functionaries viz. the executive, legislative, judicial and enforcement
wings of all governmental agencies. Other initiatives in this direction include
generating societal awareness to gender issues; review of curriculum and
educational materials leading to the removal of all references derogatory to

6
the dignity of women; use of different forms of mass media to communicate
special messages relating to women's equality and empowerment.

Legislative Support

Special efforts will be made to enforce the existing legislations

effectively to safeguard the interests of women and girls as the Ninth Plan
identifies laxity in the implementation of various legislations, especially the
women-specific, viz. - The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (as amended upto
1986); The Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956 (as amended and retitled in
1986); Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act, 1986 etc. The
findings of the recent review of all the existing legislations, both women-
specific and women-related, undertaken by the National Commission for
Women will be examined to plug the existing loopholes through necessary
amendments and enact new legislations, if necessary, to make the
legislations as effective instruments in safeguarding the rights of women and
the girl-child and ensuring gender justice.

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

Children are our first priority not because they are the most
vulnerable, but because the foundations for life-long learning and human
development are laid in the most crucial years of early childhood. This is the
time when, even a small positive change yields long-term social benefits and
even a temporary deprivation inflicts life-long damage. Thus, the
opportunities of early childhood development determine the present and the
future human resource development of a nation.

The child population (0-14 years), as per the 1991 census, accounts
for 319.6 million (37.8%), which include 153.85 million female children. Of
the total child population, 18.9 million (5.9%) are below 1 year (infants);
38.1 million (11.9%) are in the age-group of 1-2 years (toddlers); 73.0 million
(22.8%) are in the age-group of 3-5 years (pre-school); and another 189.6
million (59.4%) are in the age group of 6 - 14 years. While the children as a
whole, require special attention of the Government, the three age-groups viz.
the infants, toddlers and pre-school children require individual attention
because of their age-specific needs.

Realising the fact that the children have neither a voice nor a political
constituency, the Constitution of India laid down certain special safeguards
to ensure their welfare, protection and development. While Article 15(3)
empowers the State to make any special provision in favour of children,
Article 24 prohibits employment of children below 14 years of age in any
factory or mine or other hazardous occupations; Articles 39 (e) and (f) lay
7
down that the State shall direct its policy in such a manner that the tender
age of children is not abused and children are given opportunities and
facilities to develop in a healthy manner and childhood is protected against
exploitation and moral and material abandonment; and Article 45 provides
for free and compulsory education for all children upto the age of 14 years.

The well-being of children has been a priority and also an integral part
of the country's developmental planning, launched in 1951. In the initial
years, the major responsibility of developing child care services had
primarily rested with the voluntary sector, headed by the Central Social
Welfare Board, set up in 1953. Later, the child welfare services were
concentrated in the sectors of health, education, nutrition etc. Important
measures include maternal and child health services (MCH), primary
education, supplementary feeding for pre-school and school-going children
etc. Just as in the case of women, the Seventies also marked a shift in
approach in respect of children from `welfare' to `development'. It was during
this period that a National Policy for Children was adopted (1974) and a
programme called Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was
launched in 1975 with an integrated approach to extend a package of six
basic services viz. health check-up, immunisation, referral services,
supplementary feeding, pre-school education and health and nutrition
education for children upto 6 years and expectant and nursing mothers. The
Eighties saw an effective consolidation and expansion of programmes
started in the earlier Plans. The National Policy of Health adopted in 1983
set certain specific targets like bringing down the high rates of infant and
child mortality and Universalisation of Immunisation etc. by the year 2002
A.D. The National Policy on Education (1986) emphasised universal
enrolment and retention of children, especially the girl children. The
Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) enacted in 1986 repealed the then existing
Children Act, to deal effectively with the problem of juvenile
delinquents/vagrants and provide a framework for handling such children.
The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, enacted in 1986, was
followed by the adoption of a National Policy on Child Labour in 1987.

The early Nineties continued with the major strategy of promoting

early childhood development through convergence of available services in
different sectors and the ICDS continued as the single major national
programme to promote early childhood development services. Special
programmes were also launched for the welfare and rehabilitation of the
Working Children and for other children in need of care and protection. A
programme of Universal Immunisation was also launched to protect children
from six major vaccine preventable diseases viz. Diptheria, whooping cough,

8
tetanus, polio, measles and childhood tuberculosis. The same was further
strengthened and expanded to provide universal coverage during this period.

IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS

At the Centre, the nodal Department of Women and Child

Development acts as the national machinery to guide, co-ordinate and
review the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organisations
working for the welfare and development of women and children. The
support structures to the nodal Department include the Central Social
Welfare Board, an apex organisation at national level, which acts as an
umbrella organisation by networking through State Welfare Boards and
through them thousands of voluntary organisations working for the welfare
and development of women and children in the country; the National
Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), New Delhi
which assists the Department in the areas of research and training relating
to women and children; and the National Commission for Women which was
set up in 1992 as the highest statutory body to safeguard and protect the
women's rights and privileges. Similar Commissions are being set up at
State level also. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh is yet another support structure at
the national level for extending both 'forward' and `backward' linkages for
women in the informal sector in their entrepreneurial ventures. The
Women's Cells set up in the Central Ministries/Departments of Labour,
Industry, Rural Development and Science and Technology are expected to
develop strong linkages between the national machinery and the women-
related Ministries/ Departments. At the State level, development of women
and children continues to be a part of the Department of Social Welfare in
almost all the States/UTs except Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, where exclusive
Departments/Directorates have been set up to handle the programmes
relating to women and children. Unlike the other sectors viz. - education
and rural development, no exclusive machinery exists at the District/Block
levels for women and child development. Non-existence of an exclusive
implementing machinery at the State/District/Block levels has been
affecting the implementation, supervision and monitoring of various policies
and programmes for women and children. This situation also leads to
excessive dependence on other governmental and non- governmental
agencies. The problem is further aggravated in States where the presence of
NGOs is minimal. Therefore, there is an urgent need to expedite the setting
up of exclusive Departments/ Directorates for women and child
development in those State Governments where no such set-up is now
available. Special efforts will also need to be made to strengthen/streamline
the existing institutional mechanisms both at the Central and State levels

9
with adequate resources, both human and financial, so that the system
could gear up to meet the challenging task of empowering women and
children during the Ninth Plan.

VOLUNTARY ACTION

While the governmental inerventions in this sector are operationalised

largely through voluntary organisations, the innovative initiatives,
experiments and alternative models that the latter have developed are rich
and diverse. These efforts have often demonstrated the success of alternative
models of develop-ment of children and empowerment of women in the areas
of credit, awareness generation, organising women into Self-Help
Groups,self-employment, participatory rural appraisal etc.

PLAN OUTLAYS

An outlay of Rs. 7810.42 crore(which includes Rs. 450 crores for ICDS
under Special Action Plan(SAP)) has been earmarked in the Central Sector
for Women and Child Development in the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002).
Outlays for women and child development programmes in the State Sector
are included as part.

VOLUME 2 of 8th Plan contains……

A review of the on-going programmes is presented in the first volume of 8 th
Five Year Plan and in the second part; the approach and strategy for the
Eighth Plan are suggested, which are discussed as follows-

As we have seen above also that the 8th five year plan was in year 1992-97,
during this time Liberalization has entered in the economy of India. Also the
significant change brought with 8th was the absence of the earlier jargon
related to IR and its methods. This phase is known as Post-liberalization.

10
Now we shall discuss the points related to Industrial Relation and Labour
law one by one:-

 RURAL DEVELOPMENT:-
Special Employment Programmes:-

8th five year plan enhanced outlay for rural development. Under the Jawahar
Rozgar Yojana (JRY) any additional allocation was to be linked to certain
backward districts/ blocks, with an element of guarantee of at least 90-100
days of employment per person as under the Maharashtra Employment
Guarantee Programme. Only then will it provide the ‘safety net' for the poor
unemployed who may find it difficult to subsist in lean seasons. Providing
employment of only 15-25 days per person is grossly inadequate. There is no
doubt that a wage-employment programme like the JRY requires to be better
targeted. A quick evaluation of the JRY conducted by the Programme
Evaluation Organisation supports these observations. The survey shows
that on an average, about 15 days of employment was generated per person
in 1990-91. At an average wage-rate of Rs. 20.00 to Rs. 25.00, this would
yield a supplementary income per person of about Rs. 300 -400 per anum:
This is rather meagre in the context of the poverty line of Rs.6,400 during
the Seventh Plan, which has been revised upwards for the Eighth Plan. Also,
wage- material ratio of 60: 40 was not sustainable, as the rising material
costs meant more capital for creating durable assets. However, the
beneficiaries were happy with the assets created, though their maintenance
was somewhat lacking.

IMPORTANT NOTES: - Central assistance is provided to the States on the

basis of proportion of the rural poor in a State/UT to the total rural poor in
the country. From the States to the districts, the allocations are made on an
index of backwardness which is formulated on the following basis:

i. 20 per cent weightage for the proportion of agricultural labourers in

the total workers in the rural areas.
ii. 60 per cent weightage to the proportion of rural scheduled castes and
tribes population in relation to the total rural population; and
iii. 20 per cent weightage to the inverse of agricultural productivity.

These findings and discussions with implementing agencies and State

Governments lead to the consensus that there is a need for integrating the
various anti-poverty programmes with the sectorial programmes in a
specified area so as to ensure a sustainable increase in employment and
income of the rural poor and the infrastructural and environmental
development of the area.

11
Upgradation of skills and technology need to be given a special thrust with
the aim of generating employment in new areas where demand is expanding.
Those trained could find employment it is necessary that (a) training needs
are assessed in terms of activities or in such fields where there is likely to be
an increase of wage employment opportunities, (b) the quality of training
should be such as to bring about improvement in the skill endowment of the
trainees, (c) groups of persons can be organised in a particular trade or
productive venture and these can be brought together for training.

 LABOUR AND LABOUR WELFARE:-

Objectives:-

Improvement in the quality of labour, productivity, skills and working

conditions and provision of welfare and social security measures, especially
of those working in the unorganised sector, are crucial elements of the
strategy for quantitative and qualitative enhancement of employment
opportunities. The programmes in the sector " Labour and Labour Welfare',
therefore, lay emphasis on skill formation and development, strengthening
and modernisation of employment service, promotion of industrial and
mines safety, workers' education, promotion of self-employment,
rehabilitation of bonded labour, enforcement of labour laws especially those
relating to unorganised labour and women and child labour, promotion of a
healthy industrial relations situation and encouragement of workers'
participation in management.

Vocational Training:-

a. Craftsmen Training and Apprenticeship are two major programmes of

skill development designed to meet the diverse skill needs of the
economy. At that period, a network of 2,240 Industrial Training
Institutes/Centres (ITls/ITCs), with an intake capacity of 3.70 lakhs is
imparting training in 40 engineering and 27 non-engineering trades.
Besides courses on these trades, a number of short-term courses are
also conducted by ITIs in some States and Union Territories. Seven
Advanced Training Institutes, one Central Training Institute, two
Foremen Training Institutes, a Central Staff Training and Research
Institute and a Central Instructional Media Institute take care of
advanced level training for workers in industry, training of instructors,
development of curricular and instructional material and research in
training.
b. Vocational training facilities for women have been expanded and
diversified over the years. There are 154 Women ITls/ITCs and 129
women's wings in General ITIs, which specifically cater to the
vocational training needs of women. In addition, a National Vocational

12
 Training Institute for Women at NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh and six
Regional Vocational Trainning  Institutes for Women at Bombay,
Bangalore, Calcutta, Hi'-sar, Trivandrum and Tura provide facilities
for training in a three-tier system, namely, basic skills, advanced
skills and instructional training in selected trades having high
employment potential. Part-time, short-term and ad_hoc courses are
also organised by these institutes as per the needs of local industries.
Some courses are also organised for the benefit of housewives and
others in trades like repair and servicing of common domestic
appliances, hair and skin care, dress- making, etc.
c. The Apprenticeship Training Programme provides practical training at
the shop-floor level to 1,34,000 trade apprentices in 138 trades in
various industries under the Apprentices Act, 1961. Under the
provisions of this Act, apprenticeship training is also provided to
engineering graduates and diploma holders (graduate and technician
apprentices) in 76 fields of engineering and technology and also to
those passing out of the vocational stream of the 10+2 system of
education.
d. While expansion and diversification of vocational training facilities in
relation to needs is necessary, continuous upgradation of training,
curricula and equipment, tools and other infrastructure is equally
important. A major attempt w.'s made in the Seventh Plan through a
Centrally Sponsored Scheme for upgradation of the quality of ITIs
which envisaged replacement of obsolete equipment. Subsequently, a
six-year Vocational Training Project, assisted by the World Bank,for
quality upgradation and modernisation of vocational training was
launched in 1989-90. The project consists of Central Sector schemes
as well as Centrally Sponsored Schemes, expenditure on the latter
being shared on a 50 : 50 basis by the Central Government and the
individual State Governments. The schemes making up the project
envisage : modernisation of equipment in ITIs, expansion and
strengthening of the network of women ITIs and Regional Vocational
Training Institutes (RVTIj) for vocational training of women;
diversification, of training programmes including introduction of high-
tech and self-employment-oriented courses; media resource centres;
strengthening of the Apprenticeship Training Programme and staff
development. The size and scope of the project is being enlarged in the
Eighth Plan to expand the coverage of schemes like modernisation of
equipment and high-tech courses, establishment of new Women
ITIs/Wings besides introduction of new trades in existing women
ITIs/Wings and new schemes like upgradation of Vocational
Rehabilitation Centres for the Physically Handicapped and hostels for
women ITIs. It is expected that the project will supplement the efforts
to expand and diversify training facilities, especially for women and
upgrade and reorient the quality and content of vocational training in
general to cater to emerging needs of the economy.

Employment Service:-

13
a. A large network of employment exchanges including University
Employment Information and Guidance Bureaux provide ration
guidance and placement services to Job-seekers. Employment
exchanges in some States also implement self-employment
schemes. For instance, in West Bengal, a Self-Employment Scheme
for the Registered Unemployed (SESRU) provides subsidy, subject
to a ceiling of 25 per cent of the loan sanctioned by hanks. In
Madhya Pradesh, assistance towards margin money is provided to
entrepreneurs seeking loans from banks. In other States,
employment exchanges motivate and guide the job-seekers for self-
employment, in general, and in relation to the specific self-
employment schemes, in particular. Self Employment for Educated
Unemployed Youth (SEEUY) of the Development Commissioner,
Small Scale Industries, the schemes for self employment of the
educated in Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland, the schemes run in
Andhra Pradesh by the Societies for Training and Employment
Promotion (STEPs) and the Society for Employment Promotion and
Training in Twin Cities of Hy-derahad-Secunderabad (SETWIN) for
imparting training to youth to enhance their skill and
entrepreneurial talents and the Sanjay Gandhi Swavalamban
Yojana of Maharashtra providing assistance tor promoting small
self-employment ventures are some major schemes of this kind.
The role of exchanges in the promotion of self-employment should
be strengthened and expanded. The State Governments and other
arencies concerned should ensure that the necessary mechanisms
and procedures are created to facilitate such an expanded role.
b. Another important function performed by the employment
exchanges is the collection and dissemination of information on
employment in the organised sector of the economy and on various
aspects of job-seekers registered with the exchanges. The
exchanges should extend their information collection functions
beyond the organised sector of the economy to cover labour market
information in the unorganised sector through sample surveys and
studies at regular intervals. Such efforts would strengthen the
information base for the formulation and execution of decentralised
employment strategies and plans. The exchanges need to he
assigned an important role in employment planning and
promotion, especially self-employment promotion at the district
level. The State Governments and other agencies concerned should
ensure that the mechanisms necessary to facilitate such a role by
the exchanges are created.
c. In order to provide more efficient and quicker services to the
employers and employment seekers as also to tackle effectively the
rapidly increasing work load at the employment exchanges, a
scheme to provide Central Assistance to the State
Governments/Union Territory Administrations for computerisation

14
 of employment exchanges is being implemented since the Seventh
Plan. So far, 117 employment exchanges have been covered under
the scheme and are at various stages of computerisation. It is
proposed to continue the scheme in the Eighth Plan with the
ultimate objective of covering all the District Employment
Exchanges in a planned manner.

d. A new area, where employment exchanges could play a useful role,

is the assessment of the magnitude of labour adjustment in the
wake of steps like restructuring of trade and industry,
liberalisation of the trade regime and deregulation of industry and
in retraining and redeployment of labour in self-employment and
other wage/salary employment in alternative expanding sectors
and activities.

Manpower Planning and Research:-

a. In the context of the rapidly changing structure of the economy,

significant changes are likely to occur in the employment
patterns and potential of different sectors and activities as well
as in the pattern of skills and manpower requirements. These
changes would need to be regularly studied in the short,
medium and longer term perspectives so as to provide necessary
inputs for planning development of trained manpower at
different levels. In this context, the Institute of Applied
Manpower Research (IAMR), set up by Government of India in
1962 with the broad objectives of advancing knowledge on all
aspects of human resource development, providing perspectives
of requirements of trained manpower for economic development
and evolving methods and techniques of manpower assessment,
is expected to play a particularly significant role. The Institute
has been endeavouring to meet its objectives through
programmes on research, training and consultancy on the basis
of regular funding from the Planning Commission and
sponscrhip from other national and international agencies. The
Institute is also implementing the National Technical Manpower
Information Service (NTMIS) with the sponsor-hip from the
Ministry of Human Resource Development.

b. In the specific context of the Eighth Plan, the Institute has

reorganised its research activities into five major research areas:
Employment and Unemployment; Science, Technology and
Industry; Human Resource Development; Social Concerns; and

15
 Manpower Information Systems. It is also envisaged that the
training programmes of the Institute will be re-oriented towards
the new concerns in the areas of manpower and employment
planning. It is proposed to strengthen the Institute's
infrastructure and technical capabilities to carry out its new
programmes on the basis of suitable financial support during
the Eighth Plan. An outlay of Rs.7 crores has been provided in
the Central sector of the Plan for the purpose.

Labour Welfare:-

Adequate levels of earnings, safe and humane conditions of work and

access to some minimum social security benefits are the major
qualitative dimensions of employment which enhance quality of life of
workers and their productivity. Institutional mechanisms exist for
ensuring these to workers in the organised sector of the economy.
These are being strengthened or expanded to the extent possible.
However, workers in the unorganised sector, who constitute 90 per
cent of the total workforce, by and large, do not have access to such
benefits. Steps need to be taken on a larger scale than before to
improve the quality of working life of the unorganised workers,
including women workers.

Unorganised Workers:-

a. A statutory provision of minimum wages for employments has been

included in the schedule to the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. However,
its coverage and implementation has been inadequate and the actual
wages on the ground are often much lower than those fixed by the
appropriate Governments under the Act. While the tendency to fix
minimum wages at unrealis-tically high levels should be checked,
implementation of wages once fixed should be ensured. While
machinery for enforcement of the Act has been strengthened over the
years and is also envisaged in the programmes included in the Plan, it
is desirable that a greater role is played by the workers' organisations,
non-governmental voluntary organisations and organised trade unions
in ensuring implementation of minimum wages, instead of solely
relying on the official enforcement machinery.

b. Suitable organisational arrangements would need to be developed to

provide a minimum measure of social security for unorganised
workers. A number of models are available for adoption. The Welfare
Boards for Mine Workers, Beedi and Cigar Workers etc. set up by the

16
 Government of India and financed out of the cess levied on the
production of the commodity concerned and the Welfare Boards for
cashew workers and coir workers set up by the Government of Kerala
constitute one set of models. Mutthadi Workers Board in Maharashtra
and Jathu Hamal Boards being set up in Andhra Pradesh form the
second model. A third model is the set of insurance schemes launched
by Governments of Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh
for landless agricultural labourers. A fourth alternative is a Central
Fund with tripartite contribution (bi-partite in the case of the self
employed).

c. A National Child Labour Programme has been taken up to make

effective intervention to prevent exploitation of child labour in the
unorganised sector. Nine Child Labour Projects with the main aim of
suitable rehabilitation, of the children withdrawn from employment,
by providing them welfare inputs have been launched. Programmes for
women labour include financial assistance to voluntary organisations
for taking up action-oriented projects, studies relating to women
labour, organisation of child care centres for the benefit of women
workers, welfare projects for women workers in the construction
industry and strengthening of the enforcement of the provisions of the
Equal Remuneration Act.

d. The Rural Workers' Education Programmes, which cover landless

labour, agricultural workers, marginal farmers, fisheries labour, tribal
labour, forest labour and rural artisans, are intended to help rural
workers to solve their problems through self-help and to develop their
own organisations. The Central Board of Workers' Education (CBWE)
has developed schemes keeping in view the need to educate the
workers on industrial health, safety and environment as well as to
develop leadership among workers. As part of the national effort to
increase the rate of literacy, especially among women and persons
belonging to SC/ST and other educationally disadvantaged and socio-
economically backward groups as also workers in unorganised
sectors, the CBWE has been conducting Functional Adult Literacy
Classes for workers engaged in plantation and mining industries
where illiteracy is predominant. During the Eighth Plan, literacy
programmes for the rural workers would be continued.

Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour:-

17
 Under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, the
responsibility for identification, release and rehabilitation of
bonded labour rests with the State Governments. With a view to
supplementing the efforts of the State Governments, a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme has been in operation in the Seventh Plan
under which financial assistance on a matching grant basis was
provided to the State Governments for rehabilitation of bonded
labour. As per reports received from the State Governments, the
total number of bonded labour identified and freed by March 31,
1991 was 2,55,608, out of which 2,22,935 had been rehabilitated.
As many as 14,585 were reported not available for rehabilitation
due to double counting, death, etc., leaving a balance of 18,088
bonded labourers to be rehabilitated. The target for rehabilitation
of bonded labourers for the year 1991-92 was set at 4,109.
Identification of bonded labour and their subsequent release and
rehabilitation is a continuous process. Efforts are made to identify
bonded labour through periodic surveys by existing agencies in the
States and it is expected that such identified bonded labourers will
be rehabilitated in due course of time. Voluntary agencies are also
involved in Government's effort to identify and rehabilitate the
bonded labour. A scheme for providing grants-in-aid to the
voluntary agencies for this purpose initiated towards the end of the
Seventh Plan is being continued.

Industrial and Mines Safety:-

a. With the adoption of advanced technology and increase in the use

of various kinds of chemical substances in different sectors of
economic activity, an increasing proportion of the workforce, as
well as the population in general, are exposed to work-hazards and
environmental pollution. Modernisation of the industry has also
brought, in its train, problems of occupational hazards arising out
of work-posture and man-machine environment. Greater attention
than before will, therefore, have to be paid to the assessment and
control of hazards to workers and the general population and to
the development of safety devices, protective gears, appropriate
design of machines and tools, plant lay-out and work and
workplace lay-out . Among the programmes envisaged in the labour
sector are application of ergonomics for improvement of working
conditions in factories and docks, establishment of a system of
chemical safety, strengthening of the system for monitoring
improvement of the occupational health status and certification of
personal protective equipment. In the field of mines safety, it is
proposed to augment S&T support capabilities of the Directorate
General of Mines Safety (DGMS) to deal with problems relating to
humidity, mine fires, ground control, stability of illumination, etc.
It is also proposed to develop computer programmes for health
monitoring of miners. Establishment of a Mines Safety and Health
18
 Academy is also envisaged for upgrading the technical know-how
and professional skill of the officers of the Directorate General of
Mines Safety (DGMS).

Labour Participation in Management:-

Labour participation in management is a means of bringing about

a state of industrial democracy. Ever since Independence, the
Government has been stressing the need to introduce workers'
participation in management and various schemes were notified
from time to time. However, the results have fallen far short of
expectations. The need to bring forward a suitable legislation for
effective implementation of the scheme has been felt. Besides
legislation, proper education and training of workers and
cooperation from both employers and employees to overcome
problems arising out of the existence of multiplicity of trade unions
and inter-un-ion rivalry will go a long way in promoting the system
of participative management.

Outlay:-

An outlay of Rs.333.72 crores had been provided in the Seventh

Plan for Labour and Labour Welfare and the actual expenditure
during the Seventh Plan period was Rs.485.14 crores. An outlay of
Rs.1315.39 crores has been provided for Labour and Labour
Welfare in the Eighth Plan. The Central and State sector outlays
are indicated in the table below:

Table 7.1 Plan outlay and expenditure -Labour and Labour

Welfare (Rs. Crores)

Sector Seventh Plan   Eighth Plan  

  Outlay Actual  Expd. Outlay
Centre 95.44 102.00 451.00
States & UTs. 238.28 383.14 864.39*
Total 333.72 485.14 1315.39*

b. * Includes outlays for Special Employment Programmes.

9th plan……….

19
Labour and Labour Welfare:

One of the major concerns of the Government has been the

improvement of labour welfare with increasing productivity and provision of
a reasonable level of social security. The planning process attempts to create
conditions for improvement in labour productivity and for provision of social
security to supplement the operations of the labour market. The resources
have been directed through the Plan programmes towards skill formation
and development, exchange of information on job opportunities, monitoring
of working conditions, creation of industrial harmony through an
infrastructure for healthy industrial relations and insurance against disease
and unemployment for the workers and their families. The achievements of
these desirable objectives in the areas of labour and labour welfare have
been determined primarily by the kind of labour market that exists. The
situation of surplus labour, coupled with the employment of most of the
workers in the unorganised segments of the economy, has given rise to
unhealthy social practices like bonded labour, child labour and adverse
working conditions faced by the migrant labour. Within the available
resources, a limited effort at handling these problems has been feasible.

The share of the organised sector in employment has continued to be

low and has been declining, accounting for 7.82 per cent of total
employment in 1991. Within the organised sector, the private sector's share
in employment reduced from 42 per cent in 1961 to 30 per cent in 1995.

The labour movement in the country took shape when textiles, mines
and plantation industries were the principal employers in the organised
sector and when these industries were almost entirely in the private sector.
A mutually acceptable independent third party used to arbitrate in the case
of disputes between the employees and the employers prior to independence.
After independence, the role of the arbitrator has been assumed increasingly
by the Government. A system of labour tribunals with associated fora came
into existence. Such a system can be effective only in the case of labour in
the organised sector.

With 70 per cent of organised employment being in the public sector,

a peculiar situation has developed in which the Government assumes the
role of an employer as also of an arbitrator. In the public sector, there exist
very effective, industry-specific associations of workers, which negotiate
directly with the managements of the public sector enterprises. The role of
the Government as an arbitrator in the public sector industrial disputes
should, therefore, reduce drastically. Both the employers and the employees
can select a mutually acceptable arbitrator, independent of the Government,

20
on a case to case basis. The resources of labour administration
infrastructure should become available increasingly for studying the
working conditions of the unorganised sector.

In recent years, following the initiation of economic reforms in 1991,

the rate of expansion of employment in the private sector has been higher
than in the public sector. The rate of growth in private sector organised
employment during the period 1987-88 to 1993-94 was 1.18 per cent as
compared to 1.00 per cent rate of growth in the public sector employment.
This is a welcome reversal of the relative situation that prevailed in the
eighties. The gains from economic growth accrue to the labour force from
the expansion of all-round employment and an increase in the real output
per worker. The labour market in India, being for the most part outside the
regulatory frame-work, has adjusted itself without much strain to the
process of reform of economic policies. In labour disputes, the settlement
can be much quicker if the rewards are linked with productivity
improvement that comes from cost reduction and higher output.

Changes in the work culture can sometimes bring in a much larger

all-round benefit than resistance to such changes. For example, resistance
to changes in the structure of an industry will not benefit the workers. The
services segment of the organised sector covering insurance, finance, trade,
communication, transport and a variety of public services concerning health
and welfare, is the largest segment of organised workforce. The benefits from
the reforms in trade and fiscal policy to the consumer depend very
substantially on a more flexible structure of the firms in these industries.
During the Ninth Plan it is envisaged that the Trade Unions will contribute
to promoting changes in the work culture. The contribution from the Trade
Unions is also required for creating an environment that encourages linking
of rewards to labour with productivity improvement in a more flexible
structure of the firms that deliver such services. The trade unions have
undertaken research studies on issues relating to improvement in labour
productivity in the past utilising the insights acquired by them through the
labour movement. The forum of Indian Labour Conference, where the labour
representatives, employers and the Governments at States and Centre
mutually interact, can make useful contributions by guiding research
focussed at labour productivity.

Labour Laws:-

21
 The labour laws encompass areas like industrial disputes, wages and
minimum wages, security measures like Workmen's Compensation Act,
Equal Remuneration Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Child Labour Act, Factories
Act, Mines Act, Contract Labour Act, Welfare Fund related legislation etc.
The basic objectives of all these laws are to create a safe work environment,
provide the mechanism and the procedure to settle industrial disputes and
ensure minimum wages, payment of provident fund, gratuity and bonus etc.
besides other statutory benefits, to the worker.

To maintain its sanctity, any particular law requires to be reviewed in

the context of the changes that have occurred in the conditions that govern
employment and industrial relations. The basic objective of initiating the
process of economic reforms was to correct certain distortions and
imbalances which had crept into the economy, to overcome the crises
arising out of macro-economic imbalances and to lay the foundation of an
economic regime characterised by de-licensing, de-regulation and de-
control, besides removing all irritants and stumbling blocks to the
production system in order to make it competitive on the one hand and to
integrate the national economy with global economy on the other. Radical
changes have been made in the licensing system, in the mechanism
governing import and export, in the foreign exchange regulations, and in the
procedures for foreign direct investments. It is imperative to bring about
corresponding changes in the labour laws.

Social Security:-

The present approach to providing social security to the population

has been framed in the context of a low recorded unemployment ( less than
3 % of labour force) but high incidence of poverty (more than 30% of
households). A large number of those employed are getting wages that do
not provide them an acceptable minimum level of living. The attempts at
providing social security are targeted at the poor through special
employment generation programmes on the one hand and provision of free
or heavily subsidised basic needs like health, nutrition, housing and
education on the other. Though 20 per cent of the Plan and the non-Plan
expenditure of the Governments at the Centre and the States is directed
towards the creation and maintenance of social infrastructure, the gap
between what is needed and what can be made available within the available
resources of Governments is too large.

22
 The Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme, framed under the
Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, provides for medical care and
treatment, cash benefit during sickness, maternity, employment injury and
pension for dependents on the death of the insured worker due to
employment injury, besides meeting the expenditure on the funeral of an
insured person. The scheme is not applicable to non-power-using factories
employing less than 20 persons now but efforts will be made to extend it to
all factories employing 5 or more persons.

Health aspect is very important for an average worker, who is poor

and can not sustain himself unless work is available. Unless he is fit, his
earnings get directly affected. In these circumstances stress should be laid
on proper health care arrangements for the workers in general and workers
in the unorganised sector including urban informal sector in particular.

The agricultural labour which constitutes majority of workforce, is

exposed to many potential risks at the work location. The hospitals receive a
large number of cases of accidents at work in the field. The health, hygiene
and industrial safety set up, which has so far remained confined mainly to
manufacturing sector should allocate a substantial part of its resources to
providing services to agriculture sector.

Employment Service:-

The employment service, set up under the Government comprises

Employment Exchanges which register the job seekers and use this
information for two purposes; (i) to send the names of the job seekers to
organisations where the jobs arise and (ii) to present the data on job seekers
and job placements as employment market information. Promotion of self-
employment is also achieved by providing information on the opportunities
available. Registration of some special groups of job seekers like physically
handicapped, professionals and executives, besides the demand for labour
in specific industries like the coal mines and the plantations, is also
attempted.

23
Towards a National Employment Service :

* Present Employment Service set up took shape at a time when the public
services were expanding and there was a sharp increase in urbanisation
linked with expansion of the organised services sector. There is a need for
reorientation of Employment Service in the context of emerging markets.

* Employment Exchanges should be organised under a local society which

can raise resources from the beneficiaries -the employees and the employer
in return for the information provided.

* Area specific studies to assess the manpower needs of both the organised
and informal sectors at district levels to be carried out.

* The ability of the existing employment service set up to identify the job
seekers can be utilised for determining those eligible to get benefits related
to unemployment.

This set-up took shape at a time when the public services rendered by
the Government were expanding, the supply of educated manpower was
increasing and there was a sharp increase in urbanisation linked with
expansion of the organised services sector. The legislation on compulsory
notification of vacancies, enacted in 1959, sought to bring the information
on private sector job demands into the employment exchange information
system. The function of identifying the job seekers has been assumed now
primarily by the organisations where jobs arise. The private sector does not,
practically, use the employment service provided by the Government. A
number of placement agencies function outside the Employment Exchange
set-up. Within the Public Sector, the personnel selection function has been
strengthened, reducing sharply the reliance on Employment Exchanges. The
Governments now reach the job seekers directly when a sizeable job demand
arises. The number of jobs that arise in the public sector has reduced
sharply with the reorientation of the role of economic planning. A number of
special employment promotion schemes in small scale industry, khadi and
village industries, animal husbandry and rural development do not have any
linkage with this employment service. Within the public sector, including the
Government administration, the role of employment exchanges in personnel
selection has, therefore, practically vanished.

24
Vocational Training:-

The National Vocational Training System (NVTS) seeks to provide

training for developing the skills for production in those entering the labour
force. Two major resources for such training are the Industrial Training
Institutes, (ITIs) and the 25000 industrial establishments that take part in
Apprentice Training. The National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), a
tripartite body under the Ministry of Labour, supervises this work.
Vocational education and technical education are under the purview of the
Ministry of Human Resource Development. The intake is 4.74 lakh trainees
in the 3083 ITIs in the public and the private sector and another about 2.59
lakh under the Trade Apprentice Scheme. Within the public sector, the
States operate the ITIs and the Central Government trains the instructors at
the Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) and has a few ITIs for women. The
Director General of Employment & Training (DGE&T) in the Union Ministry
of Labour co-ordinates the activities among the Centre and the States.

The institutional set-up under DGE&T has evolved over a fifty year
period with a clear definition of functions and responsibilities among
different agencies for imparting training, curriculum development, and
technical approval of the institutes. Training is imparted mainly in the
engineering trades as a response to the requirements during the period of
rapid expansion of engineering and capital goods industries in the
manufacturing sector.

A few trades outside the engineering field are also covered but the
bulk of the services sector, and the training needs of industries other than
manufacturing, are handled by agencies other than DGE&T, such as the
electronics establishments, agricultural institutions and medical
institutions. For many of the large services sectors, such as transport and
construction, much of the training skills are acquired on job. Since the
DGE&T has concentrated on the provision of training of a reasonable
standard, it has not been able to extend its area of operation beyond
engineering into the services sectors.

Some of the existing difficulties in the system of vocational training

are uneven spread of ITIs in different regions, small coverage out of the total
school pass outs and drop outs, trade obsolescence, lack of training
infrastructure, shortage of experienced staff etc. Training programmes being
standardised on a national basis lack the desired flexibility to meet the
regional and local needs. The procedural requirement for affecting changes
are time consuming. Existing instructional packages in different trades need
to be updated and made more attractive.

25
 Women constitute a significant part of the work force. The National
Vocational Training Institute in NOIDA (UP) and the Regional Vocational
Training Institutes for women in different parts of India impart basic and
advance levels of vocational training to women. Special attention is given to
the modernisation and establishment of women Industrial Training
Institutes under the World Bank aided Vocational Training Project. A
women's Cell under the Office of Director General of Employment and
Training is also coordinating with the States in the matter of Vocational
Training for Women. The employment exchanges take special care to cater to
the job needs of women registered with them. Proper linkage in respect of
women training may be established between Director General of
Employment and Training (DGE&T), Ministry of Labour and other Ministries
like Department of Women and Child Welfare etc. and the training facilities
available in the Institutions created or to be created under the education,
health, agriculture, welfare, tourism sector plan programmes. DGE&T
(Women Directorate) should be provided a role in making such linkages
effective.

In the Ninth Plan, the Central Government will seek to strengthen the
accreditation facilities for the training institutes on the pattern of the All
India Council of Technical Education. Since the States have had the
experience of actual training activity over a long period, they should also
take up such functions through the State Councils for Vocational Training.
In the Central Plan, the DGE&T may reduce its role on imparting training to
the trainees and the instructors and extend its institutional expertise to the
services sector, modern as well as traditional. As a leading agency for
training those entering labour force, the DGE&T can co-ordinate the
activities for the development of training courses in the fields of health,
instrumentation, transportation, agriculture, rural industries, handicrafts,
etc.

In the available ITI seats in the country, the North Eastern States
have a very low share. The employment opportunities in the government
offices have shrunk due to constraint of resources faced by the State
Governments. In the Ninth Plan, a special effort will be made to expand the
vocational training facilities in the North-Eastern States with support from
the Central Plan for this Sector, under Ministry of Labour.

26
Children at work:-

The framers of the Indian Constitution consciously incorporated

relevant provisions in the constitution to secure compulsory universal
elementary education as well as labour protection for children. Labour
Commissions and Committees have gone into the problems of child labour
and made extensive recommendations. The existence of child labour in
hazardous industries is a grave problem in India. Efforts will be taken in the
Ninth Plan to modify the existing National Child Labour Project. A major
activity undertaken under this scheme is the establishment of special
schools to provide non-formal education, vocational training, supplementary
nutrition, stipend, health care etc. to children withdrawn from employment.
Under the existing scheme, there are 76 such projects throughout India.
This will help the working children and the children who do not have any
access to the formal schools because of parental poverty. Parental poverty
and higher birth rate in 1970s were and still are responsible for a large
number of children joining work force at an early age. This scheme will
partially take care of the existing child labour problem and this will be
supplemented by schemes like universal education etc. run by other
Departments. Government is also actively involved in generating awareness
among the people against employing a child as a labourer, especially in
hazardous industries. This programme will continue in the Ninth Plan and
the responsibility of education of child labour will be taken up by the
Ministry of Labour.

Thus, it can be said that Ninth Plan will aim at reducing the number
of laws which determine relations between workers and employers, with the
objective that a much smaller number of laws can reach the entire
workforce.

27
28