BHUBANESWAR: Labour and ESI minister Ganeshram Singhkhuntia on Friday welcomed the proposed labour reforms by the Centre to ensure dignity, security and opportunity for the workforce.
Attending a high-level national consultation meeting through video conferencing, Singhkhuntia said the reforms including a single registration process for establishments would reduce red tape and enhance ease of compliance significantly benefiting the real workers.
“The government is working towards a series of transformative reforms aimed at improving the lives of labourers. The reforms would help the state and the country realise the vision of Viksit Odisha @ 2036 and Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.
The meeting explored extending the validity period of licences and enabling automatic renewals, significantly reducing the burden on businesses while ensuring workers’ protection mechanisms remain intact.
The minister hailed the Centre’s move to increase female participation in the workforce through inclusive policies and safe working environment. He reiterated Odisha’s support for the reform process and stressed the need for these changes to reach workers at the grassroots level, in both rural and urban areas.
Digital transformation was another central theme in which Odisha supported and highlighted the importance of leveraging platforms such as the National Career Service (NCS) and e-Shram, positioning them as vital components of India’s digital public infrastructure for employment and social security.
Chairing the meeting, Union Labour and Employment minister Mansukh Mandaviya proposed a principle of ‘once covered, always covered’ for insured workers, ensuring continuous coverage without bureaucratic hurdles, even in the case of job transitions or mobility. He urged all states and Union Territories to share their ideas in a timely manner for the successful implementation of labour reforms.
Legal reforms, including the compounding of offences under Section 14 and the introduction of new provisions to rationalise penalties and encourage compliance through reform rather than punishment were also discussed.
Principal secretary Chithra Arumugam and Labour commissioner Indramani Tripathy were present.