New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Tuesday supported three Bills in the Lok Sabha that amalgamate laws on social security, occupational safety and industrial relations of labourers.
Speaking on behalf of the party, BJD parliamentary party leader in the Lower House Pinaki Misra said his party is duty bound to support the Bills in the larger national interest and business climate. He said the standing committee laboured over many months on the Bills and the government accepted 74 per cent of the recommendations made by the committee.
Misra also said that the nomenclature of ‘Chief Inspector’ which is reminder of the Inspector Raj should be reconsidered in the Bills.
The BJD MP also rebutted on several statements that people of Odisha go to other states for work as there are less opportunities in the state. He said equally a large number of people from neighbouring states come to Odisha for employment. He also spoke about the steps taken by the state government for migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Misra suggested that the Centre should exempt Aadhaar as proof of identification. The government should reconsider the decision of making Aadhaar mandatory and that the state government had exempted Aadhaar card as identification proof in the state from migrant workers, he added.
The BJD opposed the encroachment on the power of state governments in the Bills. He said there is a lot of encroachment on the powers of state government and urged the Centre to revisit these provisions. Earlier, the BJD had opposed the farmers’ Bills in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and had demanded that the Bills be sent to select committee for further scrutiny.
Significantly, the Lok Sabha discussed the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020. The Industrial Relations Code Bill mandates companies with 300 or more workers to prepare and submit to the government standing orders regarding the conditions of service, including shift timings and termination of employment. As of now, this applies to establishments with over 100 employees, under the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, which is among the three Acts the Bill proposes to subsume.
The Social Security Code Bill proposes to bring unorganised sector, gig workers and platform workers under the ambit of social security schemes, including life and disability insurance, health and maternity benefits, provident fund and skill upgradation.
