Prime Minister kicks off overhaul of archaic labour rules

16 Oct 2014 Evaluate

India will simplify employment rules and smoothen the way for people to move social security funds when they change jobs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, unveiling steps to reform the labour sector and boost employment. India's archaic labour laws strictly regulate hiring and firing, while an onerous 'inspector raj' deluges employers with paperwork, discouraging them from expanding and taking on new staff. He also said that the change would chiefly benefit firms that employ just a few employees.

It is difficult to estimate the size of this workforce, but just 8 percent of Indian workers have formal jobs with any security and benefits, such as the Provident Fund, while most are employed in the informal sector. Even though the World Bank says India has one of the world's most rigid labour markets, fears of a trade union backlash and partisan politics have deterred successive governments from reform measures. Business leaders have high hopes that Modi, an advocate of smaller government and private enterprise, will change that.

Inspection of businesses will be made more transparent, with a computer lottery being used to pick the enterprises to be inspected and officials required to upload a report within 72 hours, Modi said. A new website, managed by the labour ministry, will allow companies to fill forms online and raise their grievances.

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