OLD is not GOLD, sometimes

All I hear and see in recent times, is one letter ...its 'C'

Lets start with the most awaiting of all, 'C' for Cricket...yes, winning the WC after 28 years, is long cherish moment...so that gives, 'C' for Celebration...true, its worth a celebration.

Then, 'C' for Corruption....yes, Lok Pal bill, which has been dusted for 40 years on Parliament desks, is now everywhere...including FB, Twitter...!!

And that sudden buzz has become too much to handle for 'C', now its 'C' for Congress & its alliances that as expected, govt agreed to introduce the bill in winter sessions and that's 'C' for celebration again.

Finally and hopefully, this bill will become a milestone in 'Constitution'...that's another 'C' word..Being curious, I spent sometime to understand how & when the different laws were enacted by parliament and those facts and truths are hard to read and digest.

Here below is the short list of the huge pile of laws...do you know all this? give a try.........

1946 – Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act
As per this policy “Provision regarding safeguards against sexual harassment of women workers at their work places”

1948 – Factories Act
This policy says:
a) Provision of crèches in every factory wherein more than 30 women workers are ordinarily employed.
b) Employment of women in factory is prohibited except between the hours of 6.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M However, in exceptional circumstances, employment of women is permitted upto 10.00 P.M.
So if the women workers are less than 30 then no crèche would be provided?

1950 – Employee’s State Insurance (General) Regulation
As per policy “Claim for maternity benefit becomes due on the date medical certificate is issued for miscarriage, sickness arising out of pregnancy, confinement or premature birth of child”

1951 – The Plantation Labour Act
As per this policy “Provision of crèches in every plantation wherein 50 or more women workers (including women workers employed by any contractor) are employed or where the number of children of women workers (including women workers employed by any contractor) is 20 or more”

So if the women workers are less than 50 then no crèche would be provided?
Also, for children less than 20 in total, no crèche will be provided?

1961 – Maternity Benefit Act
As per this policy
1) Maternity benefits to be provided on completion of 80 days working
2) Rs.250/- as Medical bonus to be given when no prenatal confinement and post natal care is provided free of charge

So it took 11 years to design and implement the ‘maternity Benefit act’ when ‘Employee’s State Insurance (General) Regulation’ came in 1950

1966 - The Beedi & Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act
As per this policy “Provision of crèches for the benefit of women workers in the industrial premises wherein more than 50 female employees are ordinarily employed”
So if the women workers are less than 50 then no crèche would be provided?

1970 - The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act
As per this policy “Provision of crèches where 20 or more women are ordinarily employed as contract labour”
Again, if the women workers are less than 20 then no crèche would be provided?

1976 – Equal Remuneration Act
This policy enforces equal remuneration to men and women for same or similar nature of work and no discriminations allowed in recruitment for employment

Referring to ‘Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act’, it took 30 years to realise that women should be equally paid as like men for same nature of work.

1979 - The Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act
As per this policy “Provision of crèches for the benefit of women workers in establishments wherein 20 or more women are ordinarily employed as migrant workers and in which employment of migrant workers is likely to continue for three months or more”
Again, if the women workers are less than 20 then no crèche would be provided?

23rd Dec 1986 – The Employment of Children Act of 1938 was cancelled and new act ‘The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) was enacted by Republic of India

August 1987 – The National Policy on Child Labour contains the action plan for tackling the problem of child labour.

1988 – In pursuance of ‘National Child Labour Policy’, the ‘NCLP Scheme’ was started in 1988 to rehabilitate child labour.
As per this NCLP Scheme, Rs. 100/- per child was being disbursed every month only after the child is successfully mainstreamed into formal system of schooling. Till that period, the amount of stipend will be regularly deposited in the Bank Account of the child. The accumulated stipend amount could be handed over to the child at the time of her/his getting mainstreamed.

Question – which bank in India will allow a child to open a Bank account, when he/she is doing schooling?

1996 – The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act
This policy says “Provision for crèches where more than 50 female construction workers are ordinarily employed”
So again, if the women workers are less than 50 then no crèche would be provided?

What's so silly is, why there is so much fuss for 'crèche'..?

Can't the govt ensure to provide a 'crèche' for women, at their work place, irrespective of how many of them are working in there........is it costly than a 2G or a IPL....

It does not end there.....here are few more...

1860 - Societies Registration Act

1964 - Central Civil Services (Contact) Rules
1968 - General Financial Rules

Surprised ?!

Please dnt be...all the above is just a copy & paste of information on INDIAN - Ministry of Labour website 'http://labour.nic.in/welcome.html' from menu "Sections/Divisions" as on 09 April 2011

So in short...all these laws are as old as the country's culture and definitely dsn't serve the purpose now..

old is not gold...sometimes....