Cabinet May Approve Unorganised Sector Bill On Sept 6

New Delhi: The Unorganised Sector Workers Social Security Bill will be approved by the Cabinet on Sept 6. Mired in controversy following trade union protests on the grounds that it was inadequate, the Bill that the Cabinet will consider on Sept 6, will incorporate some but not all concerns of the trade unions. The earlier version of the Bill was noncommittal on the schemes offered to unorganised sector workers. This caused an uproar when the Cabinet cleared this version on May 24 with trade unions and Left parties threatening to go on strike if the Bill was cleared in that form. Later, following a review by a Group of Ministers that concluded last week, the government put in place specific schemes that would get legislative assent of Parliament. In the Bill, which the Cabinet will approve on Sept 6, some schemes have been spelt out to be implemented by a National Board for Country-wide Rollout. The government has resolved to bring a separate Bill on working conditions of these two categories of labour, later.