Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2004, published 93rd ILC session (2005)

The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period ending in May 2003 and the information it contains in reply to its previous direct request. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain detailed information enabling it to assess the practical effect given to the Convention in respect of the following matters.

1. General economic policies. In its previous request the Committee noted the Government’s job creation targets under the tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07) and requested detailed information on the programmes implemented and their outcomes. Ten million jobs a year were to be created under the Plan and monitoring and evaluation machineries were set up at national and state level. The Committee requests the Government to state to what extent the employment targets set have been achieved. Recalling that under the Convention measures taken to obtain employment objectives must be decided on and kept under review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" (Article 2(a) of the Convention), the Committee requests the Government to indicate how it takes account of the effects on employment of general economic policy measures in areas such as budgetary and monetary policy, trade policy and exchange rate policy. Please also provide information on the effects, either noted or expected, on employment of state reform measures, and the measures to encourage competition and promote foreign direct investment.

2. Employment statistics. The Committee notes that in order to monitor regularly the progress made in job creation, there are to be large-scale annual surveys on employment and that the difficulties encountered in implementing the Plan’s employment strategy will also be evaluated. The Committee hopes that in its next report the Government will provide detailed statistics on the situation and trends of employment and that it will be in a position to specify how these statistics are used in deciding on and reviewing employment policy measures (Article 2).

3. Labour market policies and training. The Committee draws the attention of the Government to its comments on the application of Convention No. 111, in light of the steps taken by the Employment Service to cater to the specific needs of women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, persons with disabilities and minorities. It requests the Government to continue to provide such information, stating the results obtained in terms of actual and sustained integration in employment of their beneficiaries. The Committee also notes the statistical data showing the progress made in initial education. It requests the Government to supplement this information with a description of the measures taken or envisaged to develop continuous training for young persons and adults on the basis of employment prospects.

4. The Government mentions in its report the legislative measures and social assistance programmes established for persons in the non-organized sector. The Committee requests the Government to provide information in its next report on the measures taken to reduce the decent work deficit for men and women workers in the informal economy and to facilitate their insertion in the labour market.

5. Consultation of representatives of the persons affected. The Committee notes the information pertaining to the items on the agenda of the Indian Labour Conference held in September 2002. It is the Committee’s view that governments and representative organizations of employers and workers share responsibility for ensuring that representatives of the more vulnerable or marginalized sectors of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (paragraph 493 of the General Survey of 2004 on promoting employment). It accordingly requests the Government to continue to provide information on consultations with representatives of the persons affected regarding employment policies, and to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure that representatives of the rural sector and the informal economy are likewise associated with such consultations.