Tirupati (AP): Prime Minister Narender Modi on Thursday evening said that a sum of Rs 38,000 crore collected as cess for building and construction workers fund has not been utilised by the states and UTs in the country.
Addressing virtually the two-day conference of all states and Union territories which formally begin here organized by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Modi exhorted the states that full utilisation of the fund was a MUST.
He said the goal was to simplify the labor laws from 29 mundane British period laws into four labor codes which encouraged investors ,women participation and also promoted industry and agriculture on a same platform in the country.
The two day conference is being convened to create further synergy amongst the Centre and State Governments in formulating the labor Vision Shramev Jayate @ 2047 which comprised of four labor codes 1) just and equitable conditions of work, 2) social protection to all workers, 3) including gig & platform workers, 4)gender equality at work, among other issues.
Union Ministers Bhupender Yadav and Rameshwar Teli and Labour Ministers of all States and UTs were participating in the two day session in the temple town.
In the meanwhile, all left parties and several trade unions of CITU, AITUC, INTUC , TNTUC, YSRTUC, staged dharna in Tirupati by raising slogans against BJP and Modi government for destroying labours rights and alleged that the new Labor codes were corporate friendly and anti-labor.
The police arrested all protesting left and labor leaders..The left parties and labor unions have called for a state wide protest rallies on August 26.
The conference focused on four thematic sessions on integrating the e-Shram portal for onboarding social security schemes to universalize social protection.
In his speech, the prime minister also emphasised on Flexible workplaces, a work-from-home ecosystem, and flexible work hours are the need of the future. His second focus was on simplifying 29 labor laws into four labor codes .The focus of the new labor policy would be on enlarging the scope of women participation in development of the nation.
He highlighted the labor friendly measures in the last eight years and also how the initiatives helped save 1.5 crore jobs during the pandemic. (UNI)
