 "Govt getting states on board for web-based labour portal")
“The Union labour ministry is getting actively involved in this process of helping states become part of the Shram Suvidha portal. This will help India improve its ranking in ease of doing business,” said a senior ministry official who did not wish to be named.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in October last year launched this portal, a common platform for employers to file their annual returns, besides compliance and inspection reports.
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According to sources, the labour ministry had also conducted a workshop in New Delhi last month to create awareness about the portal; all state governments had participated.
“As many as 10 states have already shown interest in the portal. This is an initiative where the central government is putting a lot of effort,” said the official.
This integrated portal operates through a unique labour identification number (LIN) for each employer or establishment that is allotted after getting registered on the portal.
So far, LINs have been issued to around 750,000 units. And, according to the government’s latest estimates, 19,389 inspections had been generated until December 23 last year. Of those, 15,892, or 82 per cent, have already been uploaded on the Shram Suvidha portal.
The idea behind the unified portal, which initially covers 16 of the 44 central laws, is easing the compliance process for industry.
It makes it simpler for companies to file annual returns and inspection reports through easier formats. Instead of 16 separate returns, a common online return can be filed.
The government has also drafted amendments to 10 central labour laws, such as the Contract Labour Act, Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act, to include the provision for uploading returns over the portal on or before February 1 of every year.