Tag : Decriminalisation

Bhupender Yadav* The India of Amrit Kaal that PM Narendra Modi has envisioned and the work on which is underway honours its ‘wealth creators’ and works tirelessly for its ‘Shram Yogis’ because the welfare and prosperity of the two are intrinsically linked. And together their welfare lays the foundation of a New India. The PM’s 2021 Independence Day speech made lowering regulatory cholesterol a policy priority. He said, “We want such an India where the government doesn’t interfere with the lives of citizens. Every rule, every process that has stood before the people of the country as a hindrance, as a burden, we have to remove it.” The new labour laws are thus designed in a way to ensure that interests of both businesses and people who work for the businesses are protected. The new laws are in tune with the changing labour market trends and at the same time accommodate the minimum wage requirement and welfare needs of the unorganised sector workers, including the self-employed and migrant workers. Labour reforms have been completed by subsuming multiple laws into four Labour Codes which have addressed existing central labour laws, encompassing a plethora of authorities, burdensome compliances, registrations, inspections, licenses, and registers/forms. The reforms will strengthen workers’ social security in both the organised and unorganised sectors. Transformative and game-changing aspects of the Labour Codes include freeing India’s entrepreneurs from the burden of unnecessary and excessive compliances and imprisonment provisions under old labour laws. Consider some of the clauses in the old regulatory laws: Imprisonment between 3 months and 1 year for not maintaining records of colour washing, varnishing/painting of canteens under Fa ...