8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

1/28

qwer yu opas g zxcv nmqwer yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg

hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui

opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn

mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert

yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas

Industrial Relations & LabourLaws

Assignment on 8th & 9th Five YearPlan

8/28/2010

Submitted to- Deepa MishraSubmitted by- Hiral Munuvar- 09066

Pankti Chauhan- 09072Dipali Thacker- 09106

Tolani Institute of Management Studies,Adipur.

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

2/28

1

Industrial Relations

Empowerment of women and development of children

INTRODUCTION:

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

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

The principles of gender equality and equity and protection of women'srights have been the prime concerns in Indian thinking right from the daysof Independence. Accordingly, the country's concern in safeguarding therights and privileges of women found its best expression in the Constitutionof 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 improvematernal 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. TheEighties adopted a multi-disciplinary approach with a special thrust on thethree core sectors of health, education and employment. Accordingly,priority was given to implementation of programmes for women underdifferent 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-employmentcum-income generation programmes for women with the ultimate objectiveof making them economically independent and self -reliant.

Health and Family Welfare

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

Therefore, a holistic approach with Reproductive Child Health (RCH)

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

3/28

2

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 labourthat 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 thatthe health services become more responsive towards women -specific healthproblems. In this direction, the major strategy will be to increase women'saccess to appropriate, affordable and user -friendly health care services.Special attention will also be paid to occu pational health hazards. Thepresent strategy extending primary health care services for all through theSpecial Action Plan of 1998 is expected to fill the critical gaps in the existingprimary health care infrastructure and make it more effective to reac h'Health Care Services for All' with a priority to the rural and urban poorliving below the poverty line.

To achieve the expected level of 50/1000 of IMR and 3/1000 of MMRby 2002 AD, if current trend continues, the Ninth Plan accords high priority to reproductive child health care and proposes an integrated approach withante-natal, natal and post-natal care and child health services. In thiscontext, the Ninth Plan identifies the long-standing gap of non-availability of data on maternal mortality and s uggests that the Office of the RegistrarGeneral and Census Commissioner, New Delhi should initiate action inmaking the data on the maternal mortality available on a regular basis likethat of IMR, as the same is a pre -requisite for planning both need-based andarea-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 `GenderSensitization of 1991 Census' to capture women's work in the informalsector in a more substantial way in the coming Census of 2001 AD. In thisregard, there is a need to consider redefining the `concept of work' andprovide conceptual clarity to the `definition of work' by the Census andNSSO. The Ninth Plan also envisages the preparation of Satellite Accounts tohighlight Women's Work through appropriate methodologies,consistent withthe National Accounts.

Keeping in view the ultimate objective of fulfilling the 'Right to workfor every citizen', special efforts will be made to generate gainful employmentthrough promotion/expansion of both wage and self employmentopportunities for women so as to make all potential women economically independent and self -reliant. In this context, the ongoing training - cum

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

4/28

3

employment cum - income-generation programmes viz. Integrated RuralDevelopment Programme (IRDP), Training of Rural Youth for Self -Employment (TRYSEM), Nehru RozgarYojana (NRY), JawaharRozgarYojana(JRY), Prime Minister's RozgarYojana (PMRY), Development of Women andChildren in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Indira MahilaYojana (IMY), Support for

Training and Employment (STEP), NORAD-assisted Training-cum-Production Centres (popularly known as NORAD), Socio -EconomicProgramme (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 willbe given to female-headed households and women in extreme/abject poverty

To increase the share of women in factories and in dustrialestablishments, efforts will be made to remove the existing traditional biasthat women are good only in stereo-type/feminine jobs and encourage

women to equip themselves with necessary professional/ vocational skillsand compete with men to make an entry into such areas. Simultaneously,efforts will be put into effect to ensure that the employers fulfil their legalobligations towards their women workers in extending child care facilities,maternity benefits, special leave, protection from occupat ional 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 needto 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 presentlow representation of 13.8 per cent in 1997. Efforts will also be made toensure 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 abig way, support services like child care facilities viz. creches/day carecentres at the work places/educational institutions and homes for the agedand the disabled will be expanded with improved facilities. Also, Hostels forWorking women will be expanded to promote their mobility in theemployment market.

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

5/28

4

Decision-Making

As the representation of women in the decision -making levels has adirect bearing on all the affirmative actions directed towards their well -beingand empowerment, every effort will be made to ensure that women are in

adequate numbers at the decision-making levels. To this effect, women willbe encouraged with special coaching facilities to comp ete in the competitiveexaminations which provide them a direct entry into the path of decision-making levels. Similarly, there is also a need for women to be active inpublic life and take part in the political decision -making process, as politicaldecisions/ political will in favour of women can influence a lot in creating anenabling environment for women to empower themselves. Towards this,efforts will be made to expedite action to legislate reservation of not lessthan 1/3 of the total seats for women both in Parliament and StateLegislative Assemblies.

As economic empowerment of women is mainly related to theirparticipation in decision-making with regard to raising and distribution of resources i.e. income, investments and expenditures at all levels , specialefforts will be made to enhance their capacity to earn besides enlarging theiraccess to and control/ ownership of family/community assets. With accessto economic assets, women will be encouraged to take up self -employmentthrough various entrepreneurial ventures which are more convenient andallow 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 inneed of care and protection viz. t he disabled/deserted/widowed/destituteand women in difficult circumstances etc. Special programmes will bedesigned for both social and economic rehabilitation of Devadasis, Basavis,

Jogins, sex-workers, beggars etc. The plight of those young women and gi rls,who migrate to the cities in search of jobs and later become victims of various circumstances and social/moral danger, will receive specialattention during the Ninth Plan.

Environment

Considering the strong impact of environmental factors on thesustenance and livelihood of women, special efforts will be made toensure/encourage participation of women in the conservation of environment and the control of environmental degradation throughprogrammes of social forestry, afforestation and wasteland deve lopment etc.Accordingly, necessary provisions will be made to reflect women's

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

6/28

5

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 workin 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 planningand management of forest conservation and utilisation of forest produce.

S cience and Technology

Application of Science and Technology (S&T) is vital for theadvancement of women as it reduces household drudgery and providesbetter working conditions for women, particularly, in rural areas. Therefore,participation of women/women scientists in S&T activities will beencouraged in the Ninth Plan at all stages viz. - design, development/

adaptation of alternative technologies, including upgradat ion of traditionaltechnologies and identification of those activities for which improvedtechnologies 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 researchand development (R&D) for exploitation of locally available indigenousalternative sources of energy for use in the women-related householdactivities. To undertake these types of R&D activities, more and more girlstudents will be encouraged to get into science streams with attractiveincentives.

Media and Communication

The strategy for Media in the Ninth Plan will be a combi nation of efforts to confront/put an end to the negative and stereotyped portrayal anddepiction of women and girls, besides using all types of mass media andcommunication resources to change the mindset of the people and theattitudes/behavioural patterns of people through information, advocacy andanalysis. 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 theconstitutional guarantee of upholding women's dignity.

Violence against Women

To deal with the increasing problem of violence against women andthe girl child within and outside the family, a comprehensive approach willbe adopted through a review of all the existing women-specific legislationsand remove the weak links through necessary amendments; effective

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

7/28

6

implementation of the existing legislation with strong punitive measures;gender-sensitisation of the enforcement machinery to be prompt and strictin handling the perpetrators of such violence; involvemen t of community and the voluntary organisations to act as the informants; and rehabilitationof, and compensation for, the victims of such violence. Towards this, efforts

will be made to encourage all the States/UTs to initiate annual reviews onthe 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, lega l aid centres andnyayapanchayats, will be attempted as part of the intensive efforts to curbviolence against women. Along with these, there will be widespreaddissemination of information on women's rights, human rights and otherlegal 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 Nationa l/State levelCommissions for Women; appointment of a Commissioner for Women'sRights who would act as a Public Defender on behalf of women; mobilisationof voluntary action for gathering public support for the victims of violenceincluding counselling, relief and rehabilitation; and building up of such anenvironment where women and girls can come forward to report to the policeabout the acts of violence against them, without any fear of reprisal.

G ender S ensitization

Keeping in view the Ninth Plan commi tment of empowering women,vigorous efforts will be made to accelerate the process of societalreorientation towards creating a gender-just society. The focus in this regardwill be on both men and women within the family and within the community to change their negative attitudes and eliminate all types of discriminationagainst women and the girl child. In this process, both governmental andnon-governmental organisations are expected to play a big role in utilisingboth mass media and other traditional means. Gender sensitization will beinstitutionalised within the government training systems through inductionas well as refresher courses. Specially designed gender sensitizationprogrammes will be conducted on a regular basis with special focus on theState functionaries viz. the executive, legislative, judicial and enforcementwings of all governmental agencies. Other initiatives in this direction includegenerating societal awareness to gender issues; review of curriculum andeducational materials leading to the removal of all references derogatory to

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

8/28

7

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

L egislative S upport

Special efforts will be made to enforce the existing legislationseffectively to safeguard the interests of women and girls as the Ninth Planidentifies laxity in the implementation of various legislations, especially thewomen-specific, viz. - The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (as amended upto1986); The Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956 (as amended and retitled in1986); Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act, 1986 etc. Thefindings of the recent review of all the existing legislations, both women -specific and women-related, undertaken by the National Commission forWomen 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 andthe girl-child and ensuring gender justice.

DEVE L OPMENT OF CHI L DREN

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

The child population (0-14 years), as per the 1991 census, accountsfor 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 189.6million (59.4%) are in the age group of 6 - 14 years. While the children as awhole, 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 politicalconstituency, the Constitution of India laid down certain special safeguardsto 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

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

9/28

8

down that the State shall direct its policy in such a manner that the tenderage of children is not abused and children are given opportunities andfacilities to develop in a healthy manner and childhood is protected againstexploitation and moral and material abandonment; and Article 45 providesfor 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 partof the country's developmental planning, launched in 1951. In the initial

years, the major responsibility of developing child care services hadprimarily rested with the voluntary sector, headed by the Central SocialWelfare Board, set up in 1953. Later, the child welfare services wereconcentrated in the sectors of health, education, nutrition etc. Importantmeasures include maternal and child health services (MCH), primary education, supplementary feeding for pre-school and school-going childrenetc. 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 duringthis period that a National Policy for Children was adopted (1974) and aprogramme called Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) waslaunched in 1975 with an integrated approach to extend a package of sixbasic services viz. health check -up, immunisation, referral services,supplementary feeding, pre-school education and health and nutritioneducation for children upto 6 years and expectant and nursing mothers. TheEighties saw an effective consolidation and expansion of programmesstarted in the earlier Plans. The National Policy of Health adopted in 1983set certain specific targets like bringing down the high rates of infant and

child mortality and Universalisation of Immunisation etc. by the year 2002A.D. The National Policy on Education (1986) emphasised universalenrolment and retention of children, especially the girl children. The

Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) enacted in 1986 repealed the then existingChildren Act, to deal effectively with the problem of juveniledelinquents/vagrants and provide a framework for handling such children.

The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, enacted in 1986, wasfollowed by the adoption of a National Policy on Child Labour in 1987.

The early Nineties continued with the major strategy of promotingearly childhood development through convergence of available services indifferent sectors and the ICDS continued as the single major nationalprogramme to promote early childhood development services. Specialprogrammes were also launched for the welfare and rehabilitation of theWorking Children and for other children in need of care and protection. Aprogramme of Universal Immunisation was also launched to protect childrenfrom six major vaccine preventable diseases viz. Diptheria, whooping cough,

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

10/28

9

tetanus, polio, measles and childhood tuberculosis. The same was furtherstrengthened and expanded to p rovide universal coverage during this period.

IMP L EMENTIN G MECHANI S MS

At the Centre, the nodal Department of Women and ChildDevelopment acts as the national machinery to guide, co -ordinate andreview the efforts of both governmental and non -governmental organisationsworking for the welfare and development of women and children. Thesupport structures to the nodal Department include the Central SocialWelfare Board, an apex organisation at national level, which acts as anumbrella organisation by networking through State Welfare Boards andthrough them thousands of voluntary organisations working for the welfareand development of women and children in the country; the NationalInstitute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), New Delhi

which assists the Department in the areas of research and training relatingto women and children; and the National Commission for Women which wasset up in 1992 as the highest statutory body to safeguard and protect thewomen's rights and privileges. Similar C ommissions are being set up atState level also. RashtriyaMahilaKosh is yet another support structure atthe national level for extending both 'forward' and `backward' linkages forwomen in the informal sector in their entrepreneurial ventures. TheWomen's Cells set up in the Central Ministries/Departments of Labour,Industry, Rural Development and Science and Technology are expected todevelop strong linkages between the national machinery and the women -related Ministries/ Departments. At the State level, development of womenand children continues to be a part of the Department of Social Welfare inalmost all the States/UTs except Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, where exclusiveDepartments/Directorates have been set up to handle the programmesrelating to women and children. Unlike the other sectors viz. - educationand rural development, no exclusive machinery exists at the District/Blocklevels for women and child development. Non -existence of an exclusiveimplementing machinery at the State/District/Block levels has beenaffecting the implementation, supervision and monitoring of various policiesand programmes for women and children. This situation also leads toexcessive dependence on other governm ental and non- governmentalagencies. The problem is further aggravated in States where the presence of NGOs is minimal. Therefore, there is an urgent need to expedite the settingup of exclusive Departments/ Directorates for women and childdevelopment in those State Governments where no such set-up is nowavailable. Special efforts will also need to be made to strengthen/streamlinethe existing institutional mechanisms both at the Central and State levels

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

11/28

10

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

VO L UNTARY ACTION

While the governmental inerventions in this sector are operationalisedlargely through voluntary organisations, the in novative initiatives,experiments and alternative models that the latter have developed are richand diverse. These efforts have often demonstrated the success of alternativemodels of develop -ment of children and empowerment of women in the areasof credit, awareness generation, organising women into Self -HelpGroups,self-employment, participatory rural appraisal etc.

P L AN OUT L AY S

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

VO L UME 2 of 8 th Plan contains

A review of the on-going programmes is presented in the first volume of 8th

Five Year Plan and in the second part; the approach and strategy for theEighth Plan are suggested, which are discussed as follows-

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

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

12/28

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

13/28

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

14/28

13

employment potential. Part-time, short-term and ad_hoc courses arealso organised by these institutes as per the needs of local industries.Some courses are also organised for the benefit of housewives andothers in trades like repair and servicing of common domesticappliances, hair and skin care, dress - making, etc.

c. The Apprenticeship Training Programme provides practic al training atthe shop-floor level to 1,34,000 trade apprentices in 138 trades invarious industries under the Apprentices Act, 1961. Under theprovisions of this Act, apprenticeship training is also provided toengineering graduates and diploma holders (graduate and technicianapprentices) in 76 fields of engineering and technology and also tothose passing out of the vocational stream of the 10+2 system of education.

d. While expansion and diversification of vocational training facilities inrelation 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 ITIswhich envisaged replacement of obsolete equipment. Subsequently, asix-year Vocational Training Project, assisted by the World Bank,forquality upgradation and modernisation of vocational training waslaunched in 1989-90. The project consists of Central Sector schemesas well as Centrally Sponsored Schemes, expenditure on the latterbeing shared on a 50 : 50 basis by the Central Government and theindividual State Governments. The schemes making up the projectenvisage : modernisation of equipment in ITIs, exp ansion andstrengthening 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 theEighth Plan to expand the coverage of schemes like modernisation of equipment and high-tech courses, establishment of new WomenITIs/Wings besides introduction of new trades in existing womenITIs/Wings and new schemes like upgradation of VocationalRehabilitation Centres for the Physically Handicapped and hostels forwomen ITIs. It is expected that the project will supplement the effortsto expand and diversify training facilities, especially for women andupgrade and reorient the quality and content of vocational training in

general to cater to emerging needs of the economy. Employment S ervice:-

a. A large network of employment exchanges including University Employment Information and Guidance Bureaux provide rationguidance and placement services to Job-seekers. Employmentexchanges in some States also implement self -employment

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

15/28

14

schemes. For instance, in West Bengal, a Self-Employment Schemefor the Registered Unemployed (SESRU) provides subsidy, subjectto a ceiling of 25 per cent of the loan sanctioned by hanks. InMadhya Pradesh, assistance towards margin money is provided toentrepreneurs 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 EducatedUnemployed Youth (SEEUY) of the Development Commissioner,Small Scale Industries, the schemes for self employment of theeducated in Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland, the schemes run inAndhra Pradesh by the Societies for Training and EmploymentPromotion (STEPs) and the Society for Employment Promotion and

Training in Twin Cities of Hy-derahad-Secunderabad (SETWIN) forimparting training to youth to enhance their skill andentrepreneurial talents and the Sanjay GandhiSwavalambanYojana of Maharashtra providing assistance tor

promoting small self-employment ventures are some majorschemes of this kind. The role of exchanges in the promotion of self-employment should be strengthened and expanded. The StateGovernments and other arencies concerned should ensure that thenecessary mechanisms and procedures are created to facilitatesuch an expanded role.

b. Another important function performed by the employmentexchanges is the collection and dissemination of information onemployment in the organised sector of the economy and on variousaspects of job-seekers registered with the exchanges. Theexchanges should extend their information collection functionsbeyond the organised sector of the economy to cover labour marketinformation in the unorganised sector through sample surveys andstudies at regular intervals. Such efforts would strengthen theinformation base for the formulation and execution of decentralisedemployment strategies and plans. The exchanges need to heassigned an important role in employment planning andpromotion, especially self -employment promotion at the districtlevel. The State Governments and other agencies concerned shouldensure 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 t heemployers and employment seekers as also to tackle effectively the

rapidly increasing work load at the employment exchanges, ascheme to provide Central Assistance to the StateGovernments/Union Territory Administrations for computerisationof employment exchanges is being implemented since the SeventhPlan. So far, 117 employment exchanges have been covered underthe scheme and are at various stages of computerisation. It isproposed to continue the scheme in the Eighth Plan with theultimate objective of covering all the District EmploymentExchanges in a planned manner.

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

16/28

15

d. A new area, where employment exchanges could play a useful role,is the assessment of the magnitude of labour adjustment in thewake of steps like restructuring of trade and industry,liberalisation of the trade regime and deregulation of industry andin retraining and redeployment of labour in self -employment andother wage/salary employment in alternative expanding sectorsand 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 employmentpatterns and potential of different sectors and activities as well

as in the pattern of skills and manpower requirements. Thesechanges 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 atdifferent levels. In this context, the Institute of AppliedManpower Research (IAMR), set up by Government of India in1962 with the broad objectives of advancing knowledge on allaspects of human resource development, providing perspectivesof requirements of trained manpower for economic developmentand evolving methods and techniques of manpower assessment,is expected to play a particularly significant role. The Institutehas been endeavouring to meet its objectives throughprogrammes on research, training and consultancy on the basisof regular funding from the Planning Commission andsponscrhip from other national and international agencies. TheInstitute is also implementing the National Technical ManpowerInformation Service (NTMIS) with the sponsor-hip from theMinistry of Human Resource Development.

b. In the specific context of the Eighth Plan, the Institute hasreorganised its research activities into five major research areas:

Employment and Unemployment; Science, Technology andIndustry; Human Resource Development; Social Concerns; andManpower Information Systems. It is also envi saged that thetraining programmes of the Institute will be re-oriented towardsthe new concerns in the areas of manpower and employmentplanning. It is proposed to strengthen the Institute'sinfrastructure and technical capabilities to carry out its newprogrammes on the basis of suitable financial support during

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

17/28

16

the Eighth Plan. An outlay of Rs.7 crores has been provided inthe Central sector of the Plan for the purpose.

L abour Welfare:-

Adequate levels of earnings, safe and humane conditions of work an daccess to some minimum social security benefits are the majorqualitative dimensions of employment which enhance quality of life of workers and their productivity. Institutional mechanisms exist forensuring these to workers in the organised sector of th e economy.

These are being strengthened or expanded to the extent possible.However, workers in the unorganised sector, who constitute 90 percent of the total workforce, by and large, do not have access to suchbenefits. Steps need to be taken on a larger scale than before toimprove the quality of working life of the unorganised workers,including women workers.

Unorganised Workers:-

a. A statutory provision of minimum wages for employments has beenincluded in the schedule to the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. However,its coverage and implementation has been inadequate and the actualwages on the ground are often much lower than those fixed by theappropriate Governments under the Act. While the tendency to fixminimum wages at unrealis-tically high levels should be checked,

implementation of wages once fixed should be ensured. Whilemachinery for enforcement of the Act has been strengthened over the

years and is also envisaged in the programmes included in the Plan, itis desirable that a greater role is played by the workers' organisations,non-governmental voluntary organisations and organised trade unionsin ensuring implementation of minimum wages, instead of solely relying on the official enforcement machinery.

b. Suitable organisational arrangements would need to be developed toprovide a minimum measure of social security for unorganisedworkers. A number of models are available for adoption. The WelfareBoards for Mine Workers, Beedi and Cigar Workers etc. set up by theGovernment of India and financed out of the cess levied on theproduction of the commodity concerned and the Welfare Boards forcashew workers and coir workers set up by the Government of Keralaconstitute one set of models. Mutthadi Workers Board in Maharashtraand JathuHamal Boards being set up in Andhra Pradesh form thesecond model. A third model is the set of insurance schemes launched

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

18/28

17

by Governments of Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradeshfor landless agricultural labourers. A fourth alternative is a CentralFund with tripartite contribution (bi-partite in the case of the self employed).

c . A National Child Labour Programme has been taken up to makeeffective intervention to prevent exploitation of child labour in theunorganised 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. Programm es forwomen labour include financial assistance to voluntary organisationsfor taking up action-oriented projects, studies relating to womenlabour, organisation of child care centres for the benefit of womenworkers, welfare projects for women workers in the constructionindustry and strengthening of the enforcement of the provisions of theEqual Remuneration Act.

d. The Rural Workers' Education Programmes, which cover landlesslabour, agricultural workers, marginal farmers, fisheries labour, triballabour, forest labour and rural artisans, are intended to help ruralworkers to solve their problems through self-help and to develop theirown organisations. The Central Board of Workers' Education (CBWE)has developed schemes keeping in view the need to educate theworkers on industrial health, safety and environment as well as todevelop leadership among workers. As part of the national effort toincrease the rate of literacy, especially among women and personsbelonging to SC/ST and other educationally disadvantaged and socio-economically backward groups as also workers in unorganisedsectors, the CBWE has been conducting Functional Adult Literacy Classes for workers engaged in plantation and mining industrieswhere illiteracy is predominant. During the Eighth Plan, literacy programmes for the rural workers would be continued.

Rehabilitation of Bonded L abour:-

Under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, theresponsibility for identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labour rests with the State Governments. With a view tosupplementing the efforts of the State Governments, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme has been in operation in the Seventh Planunder which financial assistance on a matching grant basis wasprovided to the State Governments for rehabilitation of bonded

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

19/28

18

labour. As per reports received from the State Governments, thetotal 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 rehabilitationdue to double counting, death, etc., leaving a balance of 18,088bonded labourers to be rehabilitated. The target for rehabilitationof bonded labourers for the year 1991-92 was set at 4,109.Identification of bonded labour and their subsequent release andrehabilitation is a continuous process. Efforts are made to identify bonded labour through periodic surveys by existing agencies in theStates and it is expected that such identified bonded labourers willbe rehabilitated in due course of time. Voluntary agencies are alsoinvolved in Government's effort to identify and rehabilita te thebonded labour. A scheme for providing grants -in-aid to thevoluntary agencies for this purpose initiated towards the end of theSeventh Plan is being continued.

Industrial and Mines S afety:-

a. With the adoption of advanced technology and increase in the useof various kinds of chemical substances in different sectors of economic activity, an increasing proportion of the workforce, aswell as the population in general, are exposed to work-hazards andenvironmental pollution. Modernisation of the indust ry has alsobrought, in its train, problems of occupational hazards arising outof work-posture and man-machine environment. Greater attentionthan before will, therefore, have to be paid to the assessment andcontrol of hazards to workers and the general population and tothe development of safety devices, protective gears, appropriatedesign of machines and tools, plant lay -out and work andworkplace lay-out . Among the programmes envisaged in the laboursector are application of ergonomics for improvemen t of workingconditions in factories and docks, establishment of a system of chemical safety, strengthening of the system for monitoringimprovement of the occupational health status and certification of personal protective equipment. In the field of mines safety, it isproposed to augment S&T support capabilities of the DirectorateGeneral of Mines Safety (DGMS) to deal with problems relating tohumidity, mine fires, ground control, stability of illumination, etc.

It is also proposed to develop computer pr ogrammes for healthmonitoring of miners. Establishment of a Mines Safety and HealthAcademy is also envisaged for upgrading the technical know -howand professional skill of the officers of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS).

L abour Participation in Management:-

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

20/28

19

Labour participation in management is a means of bringing abouta state of industrial democracy. Ever since Independence, theGovernment has been stressing the need to introduce workers'participation in management and various schemes were notifiedfrom time to time. However, the results have fallen far short of expectations. The need to bring forward a suitable legislation foreffective implementation of the scheme has been felt. Besideslegislation, proper education and training of workers andcooperation from both employers and employees to overcomeproblems arising out of the existence of multiplicity of trade unionsand inter-un-ion rivalry will go a long way in promoting the systemof participative management.

Outlay:-

An outlay of Rs.333.72 crores had been provided in the SeventhPlan 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 LabourWelfare in the Eighth Plan.The Central and State sector outlays areindicated in the table below:

Table 7.1 Plan outlay and expenditure - L abour and L abourWelfare (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.

9 th plan.

L abour and L abour Welfare:

One of the major concerns of the Government has been theimprovement of labour welfare with increasing productivity and provision of a reasonable level of social security. The planning process attempts to createconditions for improvement in labour productivity and for provision of social

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

21/28

20

security to supplement the operations of the labour market. The resourceshave been directed through the Plan programmes towards skill formationand development, exchange of information on job opportunities, monitoringof working conditions, creation of industrial harmony through aninfrastructure 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 havebeen determined primarily by the kind of labour market that exists. Thesituation of surplus labour, coupled with the employment of most of theworkers in the unorganised segments of the economy, has given rise tounhealthy social practices like bonded labour, child labour and adverseworking conditions faced by the migrant labour. Within the availableresources, 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 totalemployment in 1991. Within the organised sector, the private sector's sharein employment reduced from 42 per cent in 1961 to 30 per cent in 1995.

The labour movement in the country took shape when textiles, minesand plantation industries were the principal employers in the organisedsector and when these industries were almost entirely in the private sector.A mutually acceptable independent third party used to arbitrate in the caseof 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 cameinto existence. Such a system can be effective only in the case of labour inthe organised sector.

With 70 per cent of organised employment being in the public sector,a peculiar situation has developed in which the Government assumes therole of an employer as also of an arbitrator. In the public sector, there existvery effective, industry-specific associations of workers, which negotiatedirectly with the managements of the public sector enterprises. The role of the Government as an arbitrator in the public sector industria l disputesshould, therefore, reduce drastically. Both the employers and the employeescan select a mutually acceptable arbitrator, independent of the Government,on a case to case basis. The resources of labour administrationinfrastructure should become available increasingly for studying theworking 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

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

22/28

21

than in the public sector. The rate of growth in private sector organisedemployment during the period 1987-88 to 1993-94 was 1.18 per cent ascompared to 1.00 per cent rate of growth in the public sector employment.

This is a welcome reversal of the relative situation that prevai led in theeighties. The gains from economic growth accrue to the labour force from

the expansion of all-round employment and an increase in the real outputper worker. The labour market in India, being for the most part outside theregulatory frame-work, has adjusted itself without much strain to theprocess of reform of economic policies. In labour disputes, the settlementcan 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 largerall-round benefit than resistance to such changes. For example, resistanceto changes in the structure of an industry will not benefit the workers. The

services segment of the organised sector coveri ng insurance, finance, trade,communication, transport and a variety of public services concerning healthand welfare, is the largest segment of organised workforce. The benefits fromthe 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 contributeto promoting changes in the work culture. The contribution from the TradeUnions is also required for creating an environment that encourages linkingof rewards to labour with productivity improvement in a more flexiblestructure of the firms that deliver such services. The trade unions have

undertaken research studies on issues relating to improvement in labourproductivity in the past utilising the insights acquired by them through thelabour movement. The forum of Indian Labour Conference, where the labourrepresentatives, employers and the Governments at States and Centremutually interact, can make useful contributions by guiding researchfocussed at labour productivity.

L abour L aws:-

The labour laws encompass areas like industrial disputes, wages andminimum wages, security measures like Workmen's Compensation Act,Equal Remuneration Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Child Labour Act, FactoriesAct, Mines Act, Contract Labour Act, Welfare Fu nd related legislation etc.

The basic objectives of all these laws are to create a safe work environment,

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

23/28

22

provide the mechanism and the procedure to settle industrial disputes andensure 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 governemployment and industrial relations. The basic objective of i nitiating theprocess of economic reforms was to correct certain distortions andimbalances which had crept into the economy, to overcome the crisesarising out of macro-economic imbalances and to lay the foundation of aneconomic regime characterised by d e-licensing, de-regulation and de-control, besides removing all irritants and stumbling blocks to theproduction system in order to make it competitive on the one hand and tointegrate the national economy with global economy on the other. Radicalchanges have been made in the licensing system, in the mechanism

governing import and export, in the foreign exchange regulations, and in theprocedures for foreign direct investments. It is imperative to bring aboutcorresponding changes in the labour laws.

S ocial S ecurity:-

The present approach to providing social security to the populationhas been framed in the context of a low recorded unemployment ( less than3 % of labour force) but high incidence of poverty (more than 30% of households). A large number of those employed are getting wages that donot provide them an acceptable minimum level of living. The attempts atproviding social security are targeted at the poor through specialemployment generation programmes on the one hand and provision of freeor heavily subsidised basic needs like health, nutrition, housing andeducation on the other. Though 20 per cent of the Plan and the non-Planexpenditure of the Governments at the Centre and the States is directedtowards the creation and maintenance of social infrastructure, the gapbetween what is needed and what can be made available within the availableresources of Governments is too large.

The Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme, framed under theEmployees State Insurance Act, 1948, provides for medical care andtreatment, cash benefit during sickness, maternity, employment injury andpension for dependents on the death of the insured worker due toemployment injury, besides meeting the expenditure on the funeral of aninsured person. The scheme is not applicable to non-power-using factories

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

24/28

23

employing less than 20 persons now but efforts will be made to extend it toall factories employing 5 or more persons.

Health aspect is very important for an average worker, who is poorand can not sustain himself unless work is available. Unless he is fit, his

earnings get directly affected. In these circumstances stress should be laidon proper health care arrangements for the workers in general and workersin the unorganised sector including urban informal sector in particular.

The agricultural labour which constitutes majority of workforce, isexposed to many potential risks at the work location. The hospitals receive alarge number of cases of accidents at work in the field. The health, hygieneand industrial safety set up, which has so far remained confined mainly tomanufacturing sector should allocate a substantial part of its resources toproviding services to agriculture sector.

Employment S ervice:-

The employment service, set up under the Government comprisesEmployment Exchanges which register the job seekers and use thisinformation for two purposes; (i) to send the names of the job seekers toorganisations where the jobs arise and (ii) to present the data on job seekersand job placements as employment market information. Promotion of self-employment is also achieved by providing information on the opportunitiesavailable. Registration of some special groups of job seekers like physically handicapped, professionals and executives, besides the demand for labou rin specific industries like the coal mines and the plantations, is alsoattempted.

Towards a National Employment S ervice :

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

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

25/28

24

* Employment Exchanges should be organised under a local society whichcan raise resources from the beneficiaries -the employees and the employerin 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 jobseekers can be utilised for determining those eligible to get benefits relate dto unemployment.

This set-up took shape at a time when the public services rendered by the Government were expanding, the supply of educated manpower wasincreasing and there was a sharp increase in urbanisation linked withexpansion of the organised services sector. The legislation on compulsory

notification of vacancies, enacted in 1959, sought to bring the informationon private sector job demands into the employment exchange informationsystem. The function of identifying the job seekers has been assumed nowprimarily by the organisations where jobs arise. The private sector does not,practically, use the employment service provided by the Government. Anumber of placement agencies function outside the Employment Exchangeset-up. Within the Public Sector, the personnel selection function has beenstrengthened, reducing sharply the reliance on Employment Exchanges. TheGovernments now reach the job seekers directly when a sizeable job demandarises. The number of jobs that arise in the public sector ha s reduced

sharply with the reorientation of the role of economic planning. A number of special employment promotion schemes in small scale industry, khadi andvillage industries, animal husbandry and rural development do not have any linkage with this employment service. Within the public sector, including theGovernment administration, the role of employment exchanges in personnelselection has, therefore, practically vanished.

Vocational Training:-

The National Vocational Training System (NVTS) seeks to providetraining for developing the skills for production in those entering the labourforce. Two major resources for such training are the Industrial TrainingInstitutes, (ITIs) and the 25000 industrial establishments that take part inApprentice Training. The National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), a

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

26/28

25

tripartite body under the Ministry of Labour, supervises this work.Vocational education and technical education are under the purview of theMinistry of Human Resource Development. The intake is 4.74 lakh traineesin the 3083 ITIs in the public and the private sector and another about 2.59lakh under the Trade Apprentice Scheme. Within the public sector, the

States operate the ITIs and the Central Government trains the instructors atthe Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) and has a few ITIs for women. TheDirector 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 yearperiod with a clear definition of functions and responsibilities amongdifferent agencies for imparting training, curriculum development, andtechnical approval of the institutes. Training is imparted mainly in theengineering trades as a response to the requirements during the period of

rapid expansion of engineering and capital goods industries in themanufacturing sector.

A few trades outside the engineering field are also covered but th ebulk of the services sector, and the training needs of industries other thanmanufacturing, are handled by agencies other than DGE&T, such as theelectronics establishments, agricultural institutions and medicalinstitutions. For many of the large services sectors, such as transport andconstruction, much of the training skills are acquired on job. Since theDGE&T has concentrated on the provision of training of a reasonablestandard, it has not been able to extend its area of operation beyondengineering into the services sectors.

Some of the existing difficulties in the system of vocational trainingare uneven spread of ITIs in different regions, small coverage out of the totalschool pass outs and drop outs, trade obsolescence, lack of traininginfrastructure, shortage of experienced staff etc. Training programmes beingstandardised on a national basis lack the desired flexibility to meet theregional and local needs. The procedural requirement for affecting changesare time consuming. Existing instructional packages in different trades needto be updated and made more attractive.

Women constitute a significant part of the work force. The NationalVocational Training Institute in NOIDA (UP) and the Regional Vocational

Training Institutes for women in diff erent parts of India impart basic andadvance levels of vocational training to women. Special attention is given tothe modernisation and establishment of women Industrial TrainingInstitutes under the World Bank aided Vocational Training Project. A

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

27/28

26

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 tothe 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 Ministrieslike Department of Women and Child Welfare etc. and the training facilitiesavailable 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 linkageseffective.

In the Ninth Plan, the Central Government will seek to strengthen theaccreditation facilities for the training institutes on the pattern of the AllIndia Council of Technical Education. Since the States have had the

experience of actual training activity over a long period, they should alsotake up such functions through the State Councils for Vocational Training.In the Central Plan, the DGE&T may reduce its role on imparting training tothe trainees and the instructors and extend its institutional expertise to theservices sector, modern as well as t raditional. As a leading agency fortraining those entering labour force, the DGE&T can co-ordinate theactivities 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 Stateshave a very low share. The employment opportunities in the governmentoffices have shrunk due to constraint of resources faced by the StateGovernments. In the Ninth Plan, a special effort will be made to expand thevocational training facilities in the North-Eastern States with support fromthe Central Plan for this Sector, under Ministry of Labour.

Children at work:-

The framers of the Indian Constitution consciously incorporatedrelevant provisions in the constitution to secure compulsory universalelementary education as well as labour protection for children. Labour

8/9/2019 8th & 9th Plan

28/28

Commissions and Committees have gone into the problems of child labourand made extensive recommendations. The ex istence of child labour inhazardous industries is a grave problem in India. Efforts will be taken in theNinth Plan to modify the existing National Child Labour Project. A majoractivity 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 largenumber of children joining work force at an early age. This scheme willpartially take care of the existing child labour problem and this will besupplemented by schemes like universal education etc. run by otherDepartments. Government is also actively involved in generating awareness

among the people against employing a child as a labourer, especially inhazardous industries. This programme will continue in the Ninth Plan andthe responsibility of education of child labour will be taken up by theMinistry of Labour.

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