NEW DELHI: The labour ministry has decided to put the industry engaged in food stuffs in the public utility service under the Industrial Disputes Act for six months from July 9, 2019.
Currently, sectors like LPG supplies, road transport, railways, electricity supplies, postal facilities, telephones, communications, water supply, sewerage facilities and medical facilities fall in the public utility service categories.
The prime reason for putting the sector in the public utility sector category is that services in this category are provided at a uniform rate. “As the services are uniform, they can be availed by most people in the country without much difficulty,” a ministry official said.
Another advantage of these services, according to officials, is that there is less to no role of middlemen. “Most services become expensive due to the inclusion of middlemen in the supply chain. By including the sector in the public utility sector, the role of middlemen can be lessened, if not eliminated,” the official explained.