Cabinet approves amendments to 3 Labour codes

New Delhi: The Union cabinet on Tuesday approved amendments to the labour codes on social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety and health (OSH), which could include pension and medical benefits to gig workers, government officials said.The codes – to be moved in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament – will allow states to introduce significant changes to their labour laws framework, such as rules for retrenchment, through notifications.“Codes have been approved," a government official privy to the development said. The codes are likely to clearly define areas and conditions in which fixed-term employment will be allowed. The proposed amendments include a clear definition of the 'appropriate authority' on occupational safety and removal of distinction between term employees and workers in the Industrial Relations Code, officials said. The proposed IR Code has suggested special provisions for layoff and retrenchment in establishments employing 100 or more workers or such number as notified by the appropriate government while strengthening the health facilities for workers at factory premises, they said. These changes will help states such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh push through labour law reforms they introduced recently, including allowing businesses to extend shift hours to 12 hours from eight.The central government has been working to concise 44 central labour laws into four broad codes on wages, industrial relations, OSH and social security. The codes were introduced in Lok Sabha last year and then sent for scrutiny of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. 78004520PGCIL Asset Monetisation ApprovedThe Cabinet on Tuesday also approved monetisation of five transmission lines of Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), which is estimated to fetch the power transmission provider around Rs 7,164 crore.Monetisation of the first block will be done through infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) in the ongoing financial year and its proceeds would be utilised for fresh investment in the transmission network expansion and other capital schemes.“In the first block, PGCIL would be able to monetise five TBCB (tariff-based competitive bidding) assets of gross block of Rs 7,164 crore (as on September 2019),” the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs said in a statement.

from Economic Times https://bit.ly/2ZnecJ4
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