DIPP to set up India’s first TISC in Punjab

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in New Delhi today to establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program.

The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.

WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

Services offered by TISCs include:
•    Access to online patent and non-patent (scientific and technical) resources and IP-related publications;
•    Assistance in searching and retrieving technology information;
•    Training in database search;
•    On-demand searches (novelty, state-of-the-art and infringement);
•    Monitoring technology and competitors;
•    Basic information on industrial property laws, management and strategy, and technology commercialization and marketing.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) is designated as the National Focal Point for the TISC national network. As the national focal point, CIPAM shall identify potential host institutions, assess their capacities and support them in joining the TISC program. CIPAM will also act as the main intermediary between WIPO and TISC host institutions and coordinate all the activities of the national TISC network.

Over 500 TISCs operate worldwide and establishing TISC in India will give the host institutions an access to the global network. In upcoming years, CIPAM is planning to establish TISCs in Universities, State Science Councils, R&D institutions etc. TISC will give an impetus to knowledge sharing, sharing of best practices among the TISCs, capacity building, generation and commercialization of IPs.   

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

GST is a unified taxation system which would end multiple taxation across the states and create a level playing field for businesses throughout the country, much like the developed nations. It is a multi-stage destination-based tax which will be collected at every stage, starting from procuring the raw material to selling the final product. The credit of taxes paid at the previous stage(s) will be available for set-off at the next stage of supply. Being destination or a consumption based, the GST will also end multiple taxes levied by Centre and the State Governments like Central Excise, Service Tax, VAT, Central Sales Tax, Octroi, Entry Tax, Luxury Tax and Entertainment Tax etc.  This will lower the overall tax burden on the consumer and will benefit the industry through better cash flows and working capital management. Currently, 17 State and Central levies are being applied on goods as they move from one State to the other.

BENEFITS

Different estimates peg the net advantage to the Gross Domestic Product, up to two percentage points.  The GST regime is also expected to result in better tax compliance, thereby increasing its revenue and narrowing the Budget deficit. All the imported goods will be charged Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) which is equivalent to the Central GST + State GST. This will bring equality with taxation on local products.

Mainly, there will be three types of taxes under the GST regime: Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), State (or Union Territory) Goods and Services Tax (SGST) and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). Tax levied by the Centre on intra-State supply of goods or services would be called the CGST and that to be levied by the States and Union Territories(UTs) would be called the SGST respectively. The IGST would be levied and collected by the Centre on inter-State supply of goods and services. Four supplementary legislations approving these taxes, namely the Central GST Bill, the Integrated GST Bill, The GST (Compensation to States) Bill, and the Union Territory GST Bill were passed by the Lok Sabha in May this year, making the realisation of 1^st July, 2017 deadline a reality.

All the matters related to the GST are dealt upon by the GST Council headed by the Union Finance Minister while all the State Finance Ministers are its Members. The GST Council also has a provision to adjudicate disputes arising out of its recommendation or implementation thereof.

TAX RATES

The GST Council has fixed four broad tax slabs under the new GST system - 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. On top of the highest slab, there is a cess on luxury and demerit goods to compensate the States for revenue loss in the first five years of GST implementation. Most of the goods and services have been listed under the four slabs, but a few like gold and rough diamonds have exclusive tax rates. Also, some items have been exempted from taxation. The essential items have been kept in the lowest tax bracket, whereas luxury goods and tobacco products will invite higher tax.

17-YEAR-LONG WAIT

Many countries in the world switched to a unified taxation system very early. France was the first country to do so in 1954 and many others followed, some by implementing GST and others by using a different form of Value Added Tax (VAT). In India, the discussion on GST started in the year 2000, in the NDA Government led by the former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Finally, after 17 years of consensus building, 101^st Constitution Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in 2016. The States had apprehension of reduction in their revenue and their desire to keep some lucrative goods out of the GST baskets like alcohol, petroleum and real estate among others.

IMPACT ON CONSUMERS

From agarbattis (incense sticks) to luxury cars - all these goods will be taxed under different slabs. Movie tickets costing less than Rs 100 have been kept in the 18% GST slab while those over Rs 100 will attract 28% tax under GST. Tobacco products have been kept under a higher tax bracket. Industries such as textiles and, gems and jewellery are subject to a GST rate of 5%

The Government has shown its strong determination and stuck to implementing the GST with effect from 1^st July, 2017. The road ahead would require a lot of resolve by the implementing agencies like the Goods and Services Network, states and the industry.    To sail through initial hiccups and successfully steer the ship of the economy, the Government needs to show the same determination and courage. A bold initiative like GST taken for the welfare of the country must lead to a grand success.

Launching of National AYUSH Mission

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,  gave its approval for launching of the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) with its core and flexible components. 

The proposed Mission will address the gaps in health services through supporting the efforts of State/UT Governments for providing AYUSH health services/education in the country, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas. Under NAM special focus will be given for specific needs of such areas and for allocation of higher resources in their Annual Plans. The Mission will help in: 

i. the improvement of AYUSH education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educational institutions; 

ii. better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, availability of drugs and manpower; 

iii. providing sustained availability of quality raw material for AYUSH systems of medicine; and 

iv. improving availability of quality Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy (ASU&H) drugs through increase in number of pharmacies, drug laboratories and improved enforcement mechanism of ASU&H drugs. 

Background: 

India possess an unmatched heritage represented by its ancient systems of medicine like ASU&H which are a treasure house of knowledge for preventive and promotive healthcare. The positive features of the Indian systems of medicine namely their diversity and flexibility; accessibility; affordability, a broad acceptance by a large section of the general public; comparatively lesser cost and growing economic value, have great potential to make them providers of healthcare that the large sections of our people need. 

Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian capital goods sector

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the "Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness of the Capital Goods Sector" to boost the Indian economy. This scheme, on its implementation, would attempt to make the Indian capital goods sector globally competitive. The sub sectors of Capital Goods covered under the scheme are mainly for Machine Tools, Textile Machinery, Construction and Mining Machinery, and Process Plant Machinery. The proposed scheme addresses the issue of technological depth creation in the capital goods sector, besides creating common industrial facility centres. 

The Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector will be implemented in the 12th Plan period and spill over to the 13th Plan period with an estimated outlay of Rs. 930.96 crore. The Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) from the government for the scheme would be Rs. 581.22 crore and the balance Rs. 349.74 crore would be contributed by the stakeholder industries. 

The scheme has five components to achieve the desired result in pilot mode - 

(i) Creation of "Advanced Centres of Excellence" for R & D and Technology Development with National Centres of Excellence in Education and Technology such as the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and the Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI), Bangalore. 

(ii) Establishment of "Integrated Industrial Infrastructure Facilities" popularly known as Machine Tool Parks with a basic objective of making the machine tool sector more competitive by providing an ecosystem for production. Establishment of Machine Tool Parks will cut down logistic cost substantially and would be a step forward in making the sector cost effective, having enhanced export capability and favourable for attracting more investment. The park would be established by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed by local industries, industry associations, financial institutions, Central / State Governments, R & D Institutions, etc. 

(iii) Common Engineering Facility Centre" for Textile Machinery is to be set up with active participation of the local industry and the industry association, which in turn would improve facilitation to the users along with visibility. The Common Engineering Facility that can be provided within such set ups are common foundry, common heat treatment, testing laboratories, design center, common prototyping, general and specific machinery, etc. The facility would enable textile machinery and other capital goods manufacturers to develop capital goods to meet the large requirements and improve capacity utilization, thereby reducing the variable cost of operation. This would also be established by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed by local industries, industry associations, financial institutions, Central/State Governments, R&D Institutions, etc. 

(iv) Testing and Certification Centre" for earth moving machineries in view of the fact that it is soon going to be made a mandatory requirement and at present there is no test facility to test earthmoving machinery like that in the automobile industry. By setting up of the test centre, the import of second hand and outdated machinery could be restricted through mandatory testing and certification, In addition, the centre would facilitate evaluating the performance, statutory and regulatory requirements of construction and mining machinery and equipment. The setting up of Test and Certification Centre for Earthmoving Machinery will be done by the SPV specifically created by the Department of Heavy Industry with the approval of the Cabinet. After approval of the Scheme, a separate proposal for information of SPV for implementation of this particular scheme component will be sent to the Cabinet for approval. 

(v) The creation of a "Technology Acquisition Fund" under the Technology `Acquisition Fund Programme (TAFP) in order to help the Capital Goods Industry to acquire and assimilate specific technologies, for achieving global standards and competitiveness within a short period of time. The TAFP will provide financial assistance to Indian capital goods industry to facilitate acquisition of strategic and relevant technologies, and also development of technologies through contract route, in-house route or through joint route of contract and in-house. The Fund can extend partial support to industry to enhance their technology level, for achieving superior product quality / functionality, production capacity, safety and sustainability performance. This programme would bridge the technology gaps identified in the 12th Plan Working Group Report on "Capital Goods and Engineering Sector". 

Background:

The Capital Goods value added contributes a fairly constant proportion of 9-12 percent of the total manufacturing value added. This establishes that manufacturing is the key end-user sector of Capital Goods and drives the performance of the latter. Another key determinant of the demand for Capital Goods is the gross investment undertaken in the economy. The apparent consumption of Capital Goods constitutes a constant share of 17-21 percent of the total Gross Domestic investment in the country. The investments in the Capital Goods sector have declined with the decline in the relative profitability of the Capital Goods sector with respect to other sectors. The capital goods sector determines global competitiveness of the manufacturing sector by being a vehicle of technology. 

Socio economic structure of India

India has emerged as one of the most attractive destination not only for investment but also for doing business in the recent years. One of the fastest growing economies in the world which has not only sustained global downturn of 2008-09, India is slated to grow at consistently higher rates during next few decades. Some of the reasons which make India as a magnate of investments are:

• Large and fast growing middle class & graduation of poor to middle class and hence growing domestic consumption
• Indian Government’s constantly evolving investor friendly policy
• Lower cost of production due to lower labour rates
• Availability of skilled manpower
• Abundant natural resources
• English as one of the major business languages
• Government’s emphasis on infrastructure improvement
• India’s location, close to markets of South East Asia, Middle East and also Europe.

India is likely to become one of the largest economies of the world by the year 2025 as per projections made by internationally renowned consultants and IMF. Businesses around the world do not like to miss the growth opportunities offered by Indian markets and hence some of them are already stepping up their investments and rest eying India for investments in coming years.

Socio economic structure

India has a large sized middle class, which is further expanding substantially, offering a big fat market for foreign products and services. In fact, if India continues its recent growth trend, average household incomes will triple over the next two decades and it will become the world’s fifth largest consumer economy by the year 2025, according to a McKinsey report in 2010. The consistent economic growth in India has been an important factor that has contributed towards the decline in poverty.

India’s per capita income is estimated to be US$ 1223.45 in 2010-11, at current prices, which is higher by 17.9 percent from the per capita income in 2009-10.

In just eleven years, from 1993-94 to 2004-2005 the percentage of people below poverty line has declined from 36% to 28%, according to a survey conducted by National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO).

Governance

India has a Federal Republic Government, established in 1947 after it became independent.

The Indian political system is supported by Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.

The political governance system in India was established by the ‘Constitution of India’ in the year 1950. It has given India’s Union Government the governing authority of all its administrative divisions, which comprise of 28 states and 7 union territories.

The Executive branch is constituted by India’s President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

The Legislative branch is made up of the dual functioning of Lok Sabha or the House of the People and the Rajya Sabha or the Council of States.

The Judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court, High Courts and subordinate courts. India follows the British law which has been amended to suit local conditions.

The infrastructure

Road - India’s total road network spans 3.34 million KM which is second largest in the world. This road network consists of 65,589 KM of highways.

Rail - Indian rail route is 63,028 KM long which is largest in Asia and second largest in the world under one management. Indian Railways have 222,147 freight wagons for use in movement of freight to any corner of the country.

Ports - There are 13 major ports and 187 minor/intermediate ports along the coast line of the country. Total capacity of Indian ports in the year 2010-11 was 616.73 million tons. Ports handle over 90% of India’s international trade.

Airports - India has a total of 125 Airports, which include 11 International Airports.

SEZs - With a view to attract larger foreign investments in India, the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Policy was announced in April 2000 by Indian Government. There are 133 special economic zones operating presently all over India.

Locational advantage

Located in south Asia, India has its border countries as China, Bhutan and Nepal on north-west side, Myanmar and Bangladesh on East side and Afghanistan & Pakistan on its North-West side. The great Himalaya Mountains divide India from rest of Asia in its North side. Some of the emerging and established markets such as Middle-East and South East countries are also closely located.
Naturally connected via the sea route from the other three sides, India is surrounded by Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean which facilitates most its overseas trade in all directions.
Total area of the country is about 3.3 million square kilometers, 90% of which is land area. India is the seventh largest country in the world in area. India’s coast line spreads over a length of 7,517 kilometers on three sides.

Resources

Population and work force

One out of every six people in the world is an Indian! In 2011, India’s population is estimated at 1.21 Bllion people, against the total world population which is 6.9 Billion. Moreover, India’s biggest asset is huge size of its young and working population class. The proportion of population in the working age-group 15-59 years is expected to rise from 57.7 percent in 2001 to 64.3 percent in 2026. This is going to positively impact India’s growth in the coming years. According to the National Population Commission, India will add 173 Million people in working-age population by the year 2026. In fact, by this time, India will have the largest working age population in the world. This will act as a vital point in making India a world leader in coming years.

Education strata and manpower resources

India can boast of remarkably strong manpower resources with one of the most developed higher education systems across the globe. India’s size of education system ranks third in the world, after US and China.

The literacy rate in India is 74 percent in 2011, with English being understood and used commonly as a medium of spoken and written communication.

India had 409 university level institutions in 2008-09. The total number of colleges is 25,990 and that of polytechnics was 1742.
Total number of annual enrolment for various postgraduate courses is as high as 18.6 Million in the nation.

India has 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges with an annual student intake of 582,000.

The number of student enrolled each year to become doctors is as large as 273,366 in India.

The number of graduates from other courses like management, law, architecture, hotel, travel and tourism management are also growing fast.

Material resources

India can boast of being rich in a variety of natural resources. Some of them are coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite and fluorite.

The distinctive India

India is a country rich in history, culture, religion and diversity. There are 22 officially recognized languages spoken here. People from all religions live harmoniously here who comprise of the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and many more.

Achievements and Initiatives in the Ministry of Labour and Employment

Ministry of Labour & Employment is administering 44 Labour Laws. These laws are enforced by Central and State Enforcement agencies in their respective spheres. Multiplicity of Labour Laws and complexities in compliance have been a matter of concern for a long time. There have been requests for ensuring simplification of formats, ease of compliance, effectiveness of inspections and speedy redressal of grievances.

2.       In order to address these concerns Ministry of Labour & Employment is developing a Single Unified Labour portal for Online Registration of units, submission of annual returns, Reporting of inspections, and redressal of grievances.

3.       The pilot project is being operationalized in four organizations in Central Sphere namely the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) organization, the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) covering 16 Labour Laws to start with. The web portal is being developed and maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

4.       Each Employer/Establishment will be allotted a Unique Labour Identification Number (Shram Pehchan Sankhya) for online registration on this integrated Web portal. Complete information of all 11 lakh units for these organizations is being collected, digitized and de-duplicated. It is proposed to allot LIN to all these unique units. The annual Return format is being harmonised and simplified with amendments to respective Rules.   With the given LIN number, the employer will be prompted about the applicable Acts and be able to file a single unified annual return instead of filing separate returns under individual Acts. This will be a step forward in promoting the ease of doing business. 

5.       The web portal will also provide for online Grievance Redressal System integrated with Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) portal.

6.       The web portal will contribute proactively to achieve the objective of compliance of labour regulations and harmonising compliance across Labour Acts/organisations.

Labour Inspection Scheme   

About 175000 inspections are carried out annually by 4 central agencies in the central sphere. So far these units were selected locally without any specific criteria. A computerized Inspection Scheme has been designed with the objective of enhancing effectiveness of labour inspections and ensuring transparency. It also aims to ensure focussed inspections based on objective criteria.

2.       The Scheme will be operative in the Central Sphere covering 4 organisations namely Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) organization, the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS).

3.       A Central Analysis and Inspection Unit will be set up in each of the 4 organisations to analyse the complaints centrally according to data and evidence. The inspection report formats of EPFO, ESIC, CLC(C) and DGMS have been simplified with online inspection schemes based on computerized  system for random allotment of inspection. The scheme has also been linked to web Portal for online reporting of harmonized inspection report by Labour Inspector/Inspecting Officer. Under the scheme, the Inspection Report will be uploaded on web portal within 72/120 hours after the inspection. Monitoring of Inspections will be based on Key Performance Indices.

Major Amendments proposed in the Factories Act, 1948

·        The threshold limit for coverage under the Factories Act to include besides the existing limits of 10 workers (for units with power) and 20 workers (for units without power), units with such number of workers as may be prescribed by the State Government with a cap of 20 workers (for units with power) and 40 workers (for units without power) respectively. 

·        Permission for employment of women for night work for a factory or group or class or description of factories with adequate safeguards for safety and provision of transportation till the doorstep of their residence. 

·        Enhancement of limit of overtime hours from the present limit of 50 hours per quarter to 100 hours per quarter. This limit to be increased to a maximum of 125 hours per quarter in public interest with the approval of State Government.

·        Insertion of provision relating to compounding of certain offences  and amendment of the Act enhancing the quantum of penalty for offences.

·        Increase in the period of spread over from 10.5 hours to 12 hours by State Government through notification in the Official Gazette.

·        Provision of personal protective equipment for workers exposed to various hazards.  Stricter provisions regarding entry into confined spaces and precautions against dangerous fumes, gases etc.

·        Provision of canteen facilities in respect of factories employing 200 or more workers instead of the present stipulation of 250 workers and also provision of shelters or restrooms and lunchrooms in respect of factories employing 75 or more workers instead of the present stipulation of 150 workers.

·        Introduction of new terms like “hazardous substance” and “disability” to existing definitions.

·        Prohibition of employment of pregnant women (it was earlier for all women) and persons with disabilities on or near machinery in motion and near cotton openers.

·        Reduction in the eligibility criteria for entitlement of annual leave with wages from 240 days to 90 days.

·        Central Government also empowered to make rules under the Act on some of the important provisions.  

Status: After stakeholder consultation, the amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2014.

Amendments in Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988.

   The Government also gave notice of its intention to move certain official amendments to the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988 which would

(i)                Expand the coverage of the Act to establishments having up to 40 workers from the existing 19 workers.

(ii)              Increase the number of Acts in the Schedule from 9 to 16.

(iii)      Simplify the annual returns and reduce the registers required to be maintained.

(iv)      Permit maintenance of records in electronic form and submit returns  electronically.

Status: The proposal was put up for public consultation on the Ministry’s website. The Amendment Bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Social Security For Organized Workers:

The Government has notified the enhancement in the statutory monthly wage ceiling for making contribution under the EPF & MP Act 1952 from Rs. 6500 p.m to Rs. 15,000/- w.e.f 1.9.2014. This is likely to extend PF coverage to an additional 50 lakh workers.

It has also notified the enhancement in Minimum pension to pensioners under Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 to Rs.1,000/- w.e.f 1.9.2014, which is likely to benefit about 28 lakh existing pensioners.

As part of the endeavor to improve the services to members of EPFO and introducing Portability of Accounts, KYC seeding in respect of all 4.17 crore members (in respect of whom at least one contribution has been received during the period of January to June, 2014 and the member has not exited as per its records) has been undertaken. Bank account, Aadhaar number and PAN number etc. are being collected and opening of new Jan Dhan accounts and Aadhaar Numbers is being facilitated in the respective establishments.  This will facilitate portability of PF accounts across jobs and geographies. Nearly 35% of the UANs have been seeded till date. With the activation of the UAN services, the members will be able to collate their PF accounts.  The members can also view their updated accounts and can download the same.  UAN will also help in counting their pensionable services. This will also obviate the intermediation of the employers between the members and EPFO for all services including withdrawal, transfer etc.

EPFO has also launched an online registration facility for convenience of the employers.  During the month of July and August, 4700 establishments have availed this facility and have got PF codes online. With the assistance of State Bank of India, facility has been given to the employers by which the employers can now deposit their PF contributions through 58 other banks with which SBI has created an internet payment gateway.

 Improvement in Medical Services:

In order to improve the medical care provided by ESIC to its members, a high powered Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary (Labour & Employment) reviewed the medical services and accordingly, the following initiatives have been approved and implemented:-

a.             To empower the State Governments and strengthen the monitoring mechanism of medical care delivery system, ESIC has approved institutional mechanism in the form of inter-alia, the State Executive Committee. The State Executive Committee has been empowered for taking up of renovation work, annual repair and maintenance, empanelment and de-empanelment of tie-up super-specialty hospitals, apart from other functions. This State Executive Committee will have powers of up to Rs.3.00 crore for special repair of 200 bedded hospitals and up to Rs.5.00 crore for special repair of ESI hospitals with more than 200 beds. It will have powers up to Rs.50.00 lakhs for executing special repair works related to dispensaries.

b.            To ensure quality and supply of drugs, drugs testing policy has been revised.  Computer programme based random sampling from amongst all the batches received shall be carried out and sent  for testing by the indenting units.

c.             Strengthening of Insurance Medical Practitioners (IMP) system in order to provide medical care services in the areas where dispensaries cannot be opened up due to less number of IPs or dispensaries, services cannot be started because of non-availability of building/infrastructure etc.  Annual fee to be paid to IMPs has been revised from Rs.150/- to Rs.300/- per IP.

d.            Dispensaries with a heavy patient load are to be upgraded to provide basic lab investigation facilities in order to minimize references to the hospitals.

e.             The ESI Corporation also increased the ceiling on medical expenditure being reimbursed to the State Govts. from Rs.1500/- per insured person family per annum to Rs.2000/- per annum. 

f.              The Medical Benefit under the ESI Scheme has now been extended to the widow spouses of deceased/retired/superannuated Insured Persons as well as to the widow spouses of Insured Persons who ceases to be in an insurable employment on account of Permanent Disablement, and also to widows of Insured Persons who are in receipt of Dependents’ Benefit.

ESIC is providing medical benefits to more than 7.58 crore beneficiaries. During the year 2013-14, the Corporation has made an expenditure of Rs.4781.57 crores on the medical care.

Social Security For Unorganised Workers:

Several schemes for social security of unorganized workers are being implemented by different Ministries.  Efforts are on to effect convergence of these schemes on the RSBY platform. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)          RSBY, which provides cashless health insurance benefit of Rs.30,000 to families of the unorganized workers, is one of the schemes under the Unorganised Worker’s Social Security Act 2008.  Based on extensive consultations with State Governments, revamp of the Scheme has been undertaken in two phases.    (i)                Phase I: During this phase, the existing arrangements will be improved for immediate benefits to the insured population.  Efforts will be concentrated in developing selection and contracting arrangements with strict performance criteria for insurance companies, setting up a centralized multilingual call centre, contracting Third Party Agencies for field Audit, developing a robust and  responsive grievance redressal mechanism, rectification of existing glitches in the software and increased involvement of states through strengthened State Nodal Agencies.             As part of the financial inclusion scheme of the Govt. of India, it has been decided that all the beneficiaries of RSBY will be facilitated to open Jan Dhan accounts with the support of the State Level Bankers Committee and the District Lead Banks.  Efforts will also be made so that the RSBY beneficiaries who do not have an Aadhaar Card are facilitated to get one during the enrollment in RSBY.  Status: Implemented in June 2014. Detailed Operational Guidelines issued with earmarking of clear role and responsibilities. Supplementary Agreement notified. Work on setting up call centre and Third Party Audit empanelment is in progress.  (ii)     Phase II: The key initiatives of Phase-II are proposed to be: Centralized Procurement and issuance of cards, enrolment of beneficiaries and management of Kiosks by Consortium of State / Central PSUs, provision of wellness check for the card holders in a public health facility including PHC / CHC / ESIC hospitals, national level strengthening of RSBY team and creation of a comprehensive IT architecture covering all aspects of the programme. Status: Selection of IT agency to develop the IT architecture is under progress. Committee of Principal Secretary / Secretary of the State Governments  has been constituted  to work out details of revamp based on the learnings of the State Governments. The Phase II is expected to be rolled out from February, 2015 Convergence of Social Security Schemes for unorganized workers   In the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act 2008, ten schemes are mentioned. At present, beneficiaries have to fill up separate application forms and contact different agencies to obtain benefits under different social security schemes.  In order to facilitate convergence of major social security schemes, a pilot project is being undertaken to issue a Single RSBY Smart Card  for the three major social security schemes for unorganized workers to begin with namely,  Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana, Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension Scheme and Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. The project involves setting up single points of contact for all the three schemes in 20 Districts on a Pilot basis.  Status: The Districts have been selected and the preparation of the of Draft Project Report (DPR) is in the final phase.    Efficient utilization of the Workers’ Welfare Funds      The Ministry of Labour and Employment operates five workers welfare funds for Beedi workers, workers in iron ore manganese, chrome limestone and dolomite mines, mica workers and cine workers.  The State governments manage Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Funds.  The Ministry will focus on improving welfare measures for workers from these funds through funding Skill Development, enrolment under RSBY along with seeding/opening of Jan Dhan Accounts and Aadhaar Numbers and annual health check-up.     Status: The recommendations have already been accepted by the Central Advisory Committee of Beedi Workers’ Welfare funds. Other Central Advisory Committees are being convened shortly.

Status of Technical Education of Workforce

India has workforce of about 48.5 Crore.  The proportion of workforce who either received or were receiving vocational training (both formal and non-formal) was 10.1 % (Figure1). 

Figure 1: Proportion of workforce with vocational training 2009-10

 

Of these 10.1% only 25.6 % of the vocationally trained workforce had formal training (Figure 2 below).

Figure 2: Proportion of vocationally trained workforce with formal and non-formal training 2009-10

The distribution of the technically trained workforce according to the nature of their technical qualification is given in Figure 3 and the unemployment rates in Figure 4, which highlight the need for skilling at the shop floor level, both for employment and growth.

Figure 3: Proportion of vocationally trained workforce by level of education 2009-10

Figure 4: Unemployment Rates - Total, Youth (15-29) and Educated Youth (secondary and above) - 2011-12 (UPSS)

Training And Employment

1.       One of the flagship schemes for vocational training is the Craftsmen Training Scheme which is implemented through a network of more than 11300 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). They conduct courses of one or two year duration for 8^th or 10 class pass outs, in NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) approved 126 occupations of which five are for visually impaired. The ITIs have developed skilled craftsmen with the potential to directly contribute at the shop floor of our industries and, thereby, to the country’s overall GDP and progress.

2.       Given the burgeoning skill gap faced by the Indian economy, the Ministry has set up Mentor Councils (MCs) having representatives from thought leaders among various stakeholders viz. industry/academic/professional institutions, champion ITIs for each of the sectors and experts. 

          MCs are guiding the Ministry in responding proactively to the skill demands in the sector, through restructuring of courses, curriculum development, identification and development of good teaching and learning aids, infrastructure required, suggest ways of scaling up training of trainers with quality, making assessment systems more reliable, improving on the job training and placement of trainees, etc.

            On the recommendations of the Mentor Council, NCVT has revised 61 existing courses and introduced 21 new courses in the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS). These courses have an integral component of “Employability Skills”. The revamped curricula has been implemented from Aug 2014 session.

3.       Further, to inculcate a spirit of innovation and research, Incubation Centres are also being set up in different sectors to help budding entrepreneurs from ITIs, test their ideas and get mentoring and support of experts.  The Incubation Centres are housed in premier academic institutions of higher education in India such as the IITs.  The Incubation Centres will offer opportunities to the ITI graduates to work side by side with students from these institutions, expand their learning and vision, and create marketable business ideas and implement the same.  Chair positions are also being set up in these eminent institutions to conduct best practices research for improving the course structure, pedagogy, and overall quality of training delivery by the field institutions.

4.       There is sometimes a concern that NCVT courses are not responsive to the need of local industry.  To overcome this gap and to assist industry with qualified and trained workforce, the Government has started a scheme on “Demand responsive Vocational Training.  Any industry can sign an MoU with DGE&T to conduct training programme to meet specific skill requirement of the company.  Under the scheme approval of courses, examination and certification will be done by NCVT.  Industry would ensure minimum 80% employment.

Flexi-Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) under this scheme have been signed with Tata Group as a knowledge partner, FlipKart ,Gujarat  Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL), LabourNet, Raymond and Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

5.       In order to promote excellence in vocational training, provided through ITIs, Ministry is introducing a new scheme for developing one existing Government ITI as a Model ITI in each State which should become a demand-responsive centre for local industries excelling in training.  They will also coordinate with Career Centres towards Industry Clusters – Career Centres – Vocational Training collaboration. The identified ITI situated in a prominent industrial cluster in the State will be provided funds for taking up several initiatives and reforms such as upgradation of facilities, introduction of industry relevant training, and improved industry interaction. States have been requested to identify the ITI.

6.       A Bill has been introduced in the Parliament after consultative process regarding amendment of Apprentices Act, 1961.  The amendments meet long pending demand of youth and industries, giving more flexibility and freedom, to both apprentices and the industry as follows:-

       I.                        Provides for prescribing number of apprentices to be engaged at establishment level instead of trade-wise.

    II.                        Flexibility to the industry in terms of 2.5% to 10% of the workforce in any trade(s) of their choice, open ended eligibility in terms of qualification of apprentices, flexi period of training, etc.

 III.                        Provides for employers to undertake new courses (optional trades) which are demand based.

IV.                        Provides for apprenticeship training to non-engineering graduate and diploma holders also.

   V.                        Provides for simplifying the procedure to registration of contract of apprenticeship training.

VI.                        Inspections only with permission of Central and State Apprenticeship Adviser.

Status:        Amendment Bill has been passed in Lok Sabha.

The Government has proposed a Scheme for sharing of 50% of stipend of apprentices for undergoing apprenticeship training in MSMEs having turnover less than Rs.100 crore and registered under MSMED Act.  Main objective of the scheme is to bring a large number of MSMEs. Stipend is being enhanced from Rs.2100/- per month to about Rs.4200/- per month.

7.       In view of the large workforce having informally learnt skills working in construction sector, Ministry has launched a scheme of “Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) of Construction Workers” with involvement of industry and expert institutions. This is proposed to be funded by BOCW Cess. RPL will provide gap training and lead to NCVT Certification.

8.       Another important initiative is running additional shifts in urban ITIs for training of existing workforce in several trades. A special window has been created in Skill Development Initiative Scheme to give focus to this target group.

Career Centres

The Government has decided to transform the Employment Exchanges to Career Centres which shall connect local youth and other job-seekers with  job opportunities through counselling and mapping jobs with skill requirements.  National Career Service Portal will provide information about available career options, training courses, apprentice seats, job opportunities etc., and also resources for efficient functioning of Career Centres. The Career Centres would be the pivotal outreach and counselling interface of the National Career Service for teeming millions of aspiring youth from rural, semi urban areas as well as from disadvantaged sections of the society. These Centres would be staffed by motivated young professionals, enabled with necessary tools and infrastructure for effectively and continuously assessing demand of skills in labour markets, guiding youth visiting the Centres and by outreach to schools/colleges about, various training institutions, on-the-job training, job opportunities, etc., according to their aptitude and potential. These Centres would connect youth and other job seekers with jobs through portal, job fairs and other possible interface with employees such as campus placements.  Last mile employability modules are also proposed to be offered.

The Ministry has circulated the guidelines to States for establishing the Career Centres and capacity building of the Employment Exchange officers has also commenced from 25^th August, 2014.