Unorganised sector panel to review laws

The National Commission for the Unorganised Sector, announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will have the mandate to review labour laws and make suggestions for new laws to protect the interests of the sector.

The terms of reference of the commission have been finalised by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), and include suggesting legal and policy changes for the small-scale and unorganised sector within the purview of the commission.

According to sources in the PMO, Arjun Sengupta, formerly associated with the All-India Congress Committee's economic cell, will be heading the commission.

Prof Jayashankar, former vice-chancellor of Kakatiya University and ideologue of the Telegana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), will be a member of this commission.

The commission will also be involved in evolving a social security net for the unorganised sector, and studying the size, scope and magnitude of unemployment.

The commission will go into the stagnation in employment generation, especially in the 1990s.

"The setting up of the commission was there in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), and the Prime Minister referred to it again in at the conference of small-scale industries," said a government source.

The commission will also identify problems of small enterprises, like access to raw material, infrastructure and finance an suggest measures for institutional support.

The first task of the commission however, will be to make a survey of the magnitude of the unorganised and small enterprises sectors in the country.