India Ready To Ratify ILO Conventions 138 And 182 Concerning Child Labour

USPA NEWS - The Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya chairing the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting, in New Delhi on September 27, 2016.

BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meeting Gets Underway

The 2 day´,BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting began here this morning. Speaking at the inaugural session on Sep 27, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, the Union Minister of State(IC) said that India is now in a position to ratify the ILO conventions 138 and 182 concerning Child Labour and has started the process in this direction.Two historic reforms have been introduced.

India has put a complete ban on employment below 14 years of age and on employment in hazardous occupations below 18 years of age. In another significant step, the Government of India has presented the amendment to Maternity Benefit Act, raising the paid maternity benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. The Bill has been passed by Rajya Sabha and it would we introduced in Lok Sabha in the Winter Session, 2016.

Mr. Dattatreya said, India is committed to inclusive growth so that the benefits reach the marginalized sections and they become integral to the growth process. With commitment to job security, wage security and social security for all, while employment generation is the prime goal, efforts are on at the same time, towards enhancing the welfare of workers through various initiatives, he added.

Earlier welcoming the delegates, Mr. Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary Labour and Employment said that the deliberations during the forthcoming three Technical Sessions covering issues on employment, social security and inclusive development would be focused, constructive, fruitful and the presence of International Organizations would add value to the deliberations.

During BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meeting on September, 27th- 28th, 2016 in New Delhi, the Ministers will deliberate to adopt the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Declaration. The two-day meeting will have dedicated sessions on key thematic areas. Following the tripartite model of dialogue, the national social partners of BRICS countries are also participating in the deliberations.

Mr. Antonio Jose Barreto De Araujo Junior, Vice Minister, Ministry of Labour from Brazil; Ms. Lubov Eltsova, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection from Russia; QiuXiaoping, Vice Minister, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security from China; Ms. Mildred Nelisiwe Oliphant, Ministry of Labour from South Affrica; Mr. Guy Ryder, Director General, from ILO are leading their respective delegations.