Employment Exchanges becoming National Career Counseling Centres (NCCC)

The Indian Government is going to convert all the employment exchanges across the country to national career counseling centres (NCCCs). These entities will consequently try and help people, who have enrolled with the programme, find jobs. According to Bandaru Dattatreya, the Union Minister of State for Labour, these centres will be taking care of the job requirements of at least four crore people presently looking for jobs. Dattatreya has further stated that in addition to providing job-related information to interested candidates and actual job opportunities, these centres will perform in the capacity of counselors. According to the Union Minister of State for Labour, 100 model NCCCs are supposed to be established in various parts of the country by the end of February 2016. A couple of them are supposed to be set up in Kolkata as well. Apart from what has been said already, it is expected that these NCCCs will present a platform where the employers and potential employees can interact with each other, and hopefully in a fruitful manner.

Promotion of National Career Service

The national administration is also looking to promote the National Career Service (NCS) in the meanwhile. At present, there are nine lakh people looking to provide jobs and more than two crore people seeking jobs, who have registered with the said body. In all, a combined amount of INR 800 crore has been invested in both the projects. Narendra Modi had introduced the NCS website back in June 2015. This portal is expected to offer some major help to the job seekers. The website will also provide information related to programmes on skill development, and opportunities for serving either as an intern or an apprentice. In all, these steps could be regarded as integral parts of the Indian Government’s efforts to make sure that all its employment exchanges become more modern.

Focus on Make in India and Skill India

The central government is also putting a fair bit of emphasis on its pet projects – Skill India and Make in India. Dattatreya says that at the moment these are high on the priority list of the national government. It is expected that by the end of the 2015-16 financial year the Indian Government will have created one crore new jobs. At present, India has 978 university employment guidance information bureaus and employment exchanges.

How will they be run?

Dattatreya has stated that the state governments will be responsible for operating these centres. The national government shall provide all the latest facilities such as computers and website benefits. It will also provide any other kind of financial assistance needed to run the project.

Viewpoint on strikes

In what can be regarded as a marked departure from the traditional stance that governments in the centre have held regarding strikes, the present government is attempting to come to some sort of a middle ground instead of plain negating them. Dattatreya has acknowledged the right of workers to strike work for issues that are important to them. However, he has also said that the concerned union should provide prior notification of the same with the minimum gap being 14 days. He feels that then the strike could be regarded as mass casual leave.

National Minimum Wage Act

The Indian Government is also looking to pass a National Minimum Wage Act and all states will be duty-bound to implement the same. The labour minister has stated that even though it is the job of the state governments to take a call on this matter, the central government feels it is necessary to have a nationwide version of the same. He has further stated that the basic formula for the wage has been prepared and it should be out pretty soon, probably in the space of a couple of months. The national government has already finished discussions regarding the matter with the various trade unions and state governments. The trade unions are looking for INR 15,000 as the minimum wage. During July 2015, the Indian Government increased the minimum wage floor from INR 137 to INR 160.

Reform in Labour Laws

The Indian Government is also looking to reform the labour laws. It has reasoned that since these were framed five decades back they need to be reformed so that they could be made simpler. At present, there are 44 labour laws in India that could be grouped into four separate codes. The codes are expected to deal with areas such as wages, social security, industrial relations, safety and working conditions. There are four wage Acts in India – Minimum Wages Act 1948, Payment of Bonus Act 1965, Payment of Wages Act 1936, and Equal Remuneration Act 1975. These could be included in the aforementioned labour codes. Read also: Unemployment on rise in India Rural Employment in India Problems faced by youth in india Skill India Programme Disguised Unemployment in India What is Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act? MNREGA