Lok Sabha Question No. 1395 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-12
Subject: Contract Labourers in FCI
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1395

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th  FEBRUARY, 2019

## CONTRACT LABOURERS IN FCI

1395.   SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  number  of  labourers  deployed  in  various  depots  of  Food Corporation of India (FCI) along with their mode of deployment and payment, State-wise;
- (b) whether the  Government had decided to discontinue  the  system  of contract labour in FCI and implement Direct Payment System (DPS);
- (c) if so, whether the Contract labourers continue to be deployed and the DPS is yet to be implemented in various depots of FCI in violation of the said directives, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the corrective steps taken in this regard;
- (d) whether the contract/DPS labourers have been raising several demands including regularisation in FCI and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto along with the steps taken to meet the legitimate demands of the labourers; and
- (e) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government for the welfare of contract workers in FCI?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR  CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

- (a): Total  number  of  labourers  deployed  in  various  depots  of  Food Corporation of India (FCI) labour system-wise is as follows:

| Labour system         |   Number of depots | Labour strength       |
|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------------------|
| Departmental Labour   |                 55 | 11887 (as on Dec. 18) |
| Direct Payment System |                152 | 20845 (as on Dec. 18) |
| No Work No Pay system |                 88 | 6797 (as on Dec. 18)  |
| Contract workers      |                265 | 22417 (as on Dec. 17) |
| Total                 |                560 | 61946                 |

A  statement  showing  the  deployment  and  payment  state-wise  is enclosed as Annexure.

- (b): Govt. has not decided to discontinue the system of contract labour in FCI.
- (c):      (i)   Contract  labourers  are  deployed  only  in  those  depots  where engagement of contract labour has not been banned by the Govt. of India (Ministry of Labour) by a notification issued under section 10 of the Contract Labour (R&A) Act, 1970.
- (ii)   There is no violation of any directives as  contract labour are not deployed  in  any  depot  where  the  Government/Ministry  of  Labour has banned deployment of contract labour under the provisions of Section 10 of CL(R&A) Act.
- (d):      (i)   Direct Payment labour System (DPS) is governed by the settlements  signed  with  the  labour  unions  from  time  to  time. Hence, question of their regularization does not arise.
- (ii)   Contract workers are employees of the contractor and there is no employer  and  employee  relationship  between  the  FCI  and  the contract workers.
- (e): Nodal officers have been appointed at field level to ensure compliance with all the welfare measures to regulate the working conditions of  contract  labours  and  to  ensure  better  facilities  and  adequate  welfare provisions like EPF, Minimum Wages, ESI, Workmen Compensation etc., and facilities  like  canteen/restrooms, urinals and provision of drinking water by the contractor as per various labour laws.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1395 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 12 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019 IN THE LOK SABHA

|   SL. NO. | ZONE   | REGION            |   LABOURS IN DEPARTMENTAL LABOUR SYSTEM |   LABOURS IN DIRECT PAYMENT SYSTEM LABOUR |   LABOURS IN NO WORK NO PAY SYSTEM LABOUR | contract labours as on dec 2017 as per labour licence   |
|-----------|--------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | NZ     | Delhi             |                                     813 |                                       189 |                                         0 | 0                                                       |
|         2 | -do-   | UP                |                                    1178 |                                      1842 |                                       753 | 560                                                     |
|         3 | -do-   | Rajasthan         |                                     315 |                                         0 |                                       971 | 1620                                                    |
|         4 | -do-   | HP                |                                       0 |                                         0 |                                        52 |                                                         |
|         5 | -do-   | Punjab            |                                     321 |                                      8971 |                                      1413 | 1290                                                    |
|         6 | -do-   | Haryana           |                                    1139 |                                         0 |                                       954 | 2431                                                    |
|         7 | -do-   | J & K             |                                       0 |                                       480 |                                         0 |                                                         |
|         8 | -do-   | Uttrakhand        |                                       0 |                                       276 |                                       548 | 20                                                      |
|         9 | EZ     | W. Bengal         |                                    2152 |                                      1161 |                                       275 | 2245                                                    |
|        10 | -do-   | Bihar             |                                    1671 |                                       168 |                                       244 | 718                                                     |
|        11 | -do-   | Orissa            |                                    1027 |                                       424 |                                         0 | 154                                                     |
|        12 | -do-   | Jharkhand         |                                     568 |                                       149 |                                        39 | 110                                                     |
|        13 | WZ     | Chhatisgarh       |                                      98 |                                       904 |                                         0 | 2833                                                    |
|        14 | -do-   | Maharashtra       |                                    1255 |                                       242 |                                       121 | 1285                                                    |
|        15 | -do-   | MP                |                                       0 |                                       251 |                                         0 | 1650                                                    |
|        16 | -do-   | Gujarat           |                                     517 |                                        82 |                                         0 | 2480                                                    |
|        17 | NEZ    | Assam             |                                     577 |                                       519 |                                         0 | 1518                                                    |
|        18 | -do-   | N.E.F.            |                                      65 |                                         0 |                                         0 | 588                                                     |
|        19 | -do-   | N & M             |                                     191 |                                        51 |                                         0 | 103                                                     |
|        20 | -do-   | Arunachal Pradesh |                                       0 |                                         0 |                                         0 |                                                         |
|        21 | SZ     | Tamil Nadu        |                                       0 |                                      1035 |                                       603 | 193                                                     |
|        22 | -do-   | AP                |                                       0 |                                      2651 |                                       441 | 1092                                                    |
|        23 | -do-   | Kerala            |                                       0 |                                      1049 |                                       227 | 419                                                     |
|        24 | -do-   | Karnataka         |                                       0 |                                       401 |                                       156 | 1108                                                    |

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