Lok Sabha Question No. 1185 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-24
Subject: Welfare of Workforce
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI, SANTOSH AHLAWAT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1185 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2017

## WELFARE OF WORKFORCE

## 1185. SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARSWATI: SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Government  has  taken  a  number  of  path breaking steps for the welfare of the country's workforce and if so, the
- details thereof;
- (b)the major achievements of ESIC during the last three years; and
- (c)whether  any  post  retirement  benefits  are  being  provided  to  the  workers
- and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

- (a) & (b): Yes, Madam. Ministry of Labour and Employment has, in the recent past, taken a number of measures for the welfare of workforce in the country. Some of the major reforms taken by the Ministry are as follow:-
- i) The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 came into  force  on  1st  September  2016.  The  Act  ensures  complete  ban  on employment  below  the  age  of  14  years.  Child  Labour  is  now  a  cognizable offence.
- ii) The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 came into force on 1st April, 2017. This ensures increased Maternity Benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for  two  surviving  children  and  12  weeks  for  more  than  two  children, Commissioning Mothers and Adopting Mothers.

Contd..2/-

- iii)  Amendment to the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 enables the employers to pay the wages to their employees by cash or cheque or crediting it to their bank account.
- iv)  Enhancement  of  eligibility  limit  under  Payment  of  Bonus  Act  from Rs.10,000/- per month to Rs.21,000/- per month. Calculation Ceiling revised from Rs.3500/to Rs.7000/or  the  minimum  wage  for  the  scheduled employment, as fixed by the appropriate Government, whichever is higher.
- v) The Employees' Compensation Act,1923 amended to make it more rational and labourers' beneficial.
- vi)  The Government has increased the basic rate of minimum wages for all sectors in the central sphere.

vii)    A  single  unified  Web  Portal  for  submissions  of  Common  Annual  Return under  9  Central  Acts  and  monthly  common  Electronic  Challan  Cum  Return (ECR)  for  EPFO  and  ESIC.  Common  registration  under  EPFO  and  ESIC  has been facilitated on the Shram Suvidha Portal since 30th April, 2017.

viii)  Minimum  pension  under  Employees'  Pension  Scheme,  1995  has  been revised to Rs.1000/- in perpetuity per month w.e.f. April, 2015.

- ix)    Time  limit  for  claim  settlement  has  been  reduced  to  10  days  from  20 days.
- x)  EPFO has tied up with more than 2 lakh CSC (Common Service Centers) outlets for various services including Jeevan Pramaan.
- xi)  Benefits under Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976 has been increased from Rs.3.60 lakhs to Rs.6.00 lakhs in case of death of EPFO member. Employers can apply for EPF code numbers online by uploading of digitally signed documents.
- xii)  Universal Account Number (UAN) has been made compulsory and online credit system introduced.

xiii)  Employees' Enrolment Campaign (EEC) was launched by the Government in  January  2017.  The  EEC  aims  to  enroll  left  out  employees  and  provides incentives to employers in the form of waiver of administrative charges.

Contd..3/-

::  3  :: xiv) Wage ceiling for coverage under ESI Act, 1948 has been increased from Rs. 15000/- to Rs.21000/- w.e.f. 1 st  January, 2017.

xv) For workers covered under ESI Act, 1948 maternity leave increased from existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks. Provision of maternity benefits also extended to commissioning & adopting mothers.

xvi) ESIC 2.0 initiative on digitization of health records, online availability of medical  reports,  Abhiyaan  Indradhanush,  Tele-Medicine  facility  and  Geotagging of ESIC hospitals etc.

xvii) Expansion of ESIC to cover complete districts in all 393 districts where these clusters are located.

xvii) Other major reforms of ESIC are- opening of 6 bedded Day Care Centres, Annual Preventive Health Check-up for Insured Persons (IPs) of age 40 years, increase per capita ceiling on expenditure from Rs.2150/- to Rs.3000/-.

xviii)  To  extend  the  coverage  to  the  entire  workforce,  ESI  Corporation  has introduced  a  new  employer  friendly  Scheme  for  left  out  employers  and workers including contractual, casual, temporary workers. As a result more than one crore new employees added.

(c): The workers are provided post-retirement benefits like gratuity, pension and provident fund under the provisions of the Payment of Gratuity Act,1972  and  Employees'  Provident  Funds  and  Miscellaneous  Provisions, Act,1952.

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