Bengaluru
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shobha Karandlaje, said that the central government is planning to revise current labor laws by merging them into four major labor codes. This move aims to extend social security benefits to unorganized workers, similar to those enjoyed by workers in the organized sector.
Speaking at the launch of the 'Free Auto Driving Training for Women and Marginalized Women' program held on July 12 in collaboration with B.PAC and CGI, she said that the labor laws from the British era are still in use and need to be updated. Since 90% of the country's workforce is in the unorganized sector, especially in agriculture and daily-wage jobs, there is an urgent need to provide them with financial and social security. The government is taking steps to include these workers in schemes like Provident Fund (PF).
She also pointed out the rapid growth of the quick commerce sector in India, which currently employs around 60 lakh people and is expected to grow to 25 crore jobs in the next decade. This sector is expanding beyond big cities into tier 2 and 3 cities, and the government plans to include these workers under the new Social Security Code.
Praising B.PAC for empowering women, Karandlaje said it is encouraging to see more women entering non-traditional fields like auto driving. She added that if the number of women auto drivers increases, it will give more confidence to women to travel safely at night and early mornings.
