MP Govt to amend various Acts to boost industries, labourers

Notification is being issued to amend four Central and three State Acts in the interest of industries and labourers, on Tuesday.

Along with this, provision is being made in the Public Service Provision Guarantee Act to provide 18 services in a day.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a meeting with the officials discussed point by point the proposed amendments in various Acts and had stated the need to give various concessions to the industries in the next one thousand days in the situation arising out of corona crisis.

The CM had instructed to prepare proposals for necessary amendments in the labour laws for the purpose of increasing investment and providing employment opportunities to the workers in today’s competitive era.

Industries to be exempted from departmental inspections

Under the Factories Act 1948, new industries will be exempted from all sections except Sections 6,7,8, Section 21 to 41 (H), 59,67,68,79,88 and Section 112 of the Factories Act 1958.

This will now exempt industries from departmental inspections. Industries will be able to conduct third party inspections at will. Maintenance of registers will be exempted and factories will be exempted from examination and inspection by factory inspector. Industries will be able to change shifts at their convenience.

18 services in one day under Public Service Guarantee Act

As per the notification issued under the Public Service Guarantee Act 2010, there was a provision to provide 18 services of the labour department in the first thirty days. Now provision has been made to provide these services in one day.

Online registration will be given in one day itself on applying online for registration under Factory Act 1948, Shop and Establishment Act 1958, Contract Labour Act 1970, Interstate Migrant Workers Act 1979, Motor Transport Workers Act 1961, Madhya Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996 and Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act 1966.

This will help people in getting rid of the need to visit the offices for registration without any reason.

After the amendment in the Shop and Establishment Act 1958, any shop and establishment will be able to remain open from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight. This will give relief to the shopkeepers as well as the customers.

Establishments employing less than 50 workers can be inspected only after the permission of the labour commissioner. There will be transparency in the inspection. Factories will have to file one return instead of two returns.

After the amendment in the Contract Labour Act 1970, the contractors will be bound for registration only if they employ 50 labourers instead of 20.

Amendment in definition of factory

Under the Factory Act, 20 labourers instead of 10 with electric power factories and 40 workers instead of 20 in without electricity factory have been made in the definition of a factory. A proposal for this amendment has also been sent to the Union government. This will exempt small industries from registration under the Factory Act. Prior to this, necessary labour amendments have been made in 13 Central and 4 state laws.