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Saturday, Sep 18, 2004

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National commission to promote unorganised sector

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 17 . The Union Cabinet today gave the green signal for the setting up of a national commission to suggest measures to promote enterprises in the unorganised and informal sector, which account for almost 90 per cent of the Indian economy.

The panel's mandate would be to identify the various problems faced by such enterprises in terms of freedom of operation, access to raw material, availability of financial expertise, infrastructure, technology and market, and review the various Government programmes designed to assist them.

The panel would be specifically asked to suggest the legal and policy environment that should govern the informal and unorganised sector. In particular, it would be asked to come out with innovative legal and financial instruments to promote growth.

The Commission would also review the existing arrangements for estimating employment in the sector and review labour laws, consistent with the protection of workers' rights. Headed by a full-time Chairman, the panel would have two full-time members and a Member-Secretary. It would also have part-time members, whose number would be decided later.

Disease surveillance

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which also met today, cleared a proposal to set up a nationwide system for disease surveillance at an outlay of Rs. 408 crores, to provide for rapid response in case of epidemic. The project would be implemented over the next five years.

Apart from regular surveillance for diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, polio and measles, the system would be geared to conduct periodic surveys of the risk factors for non-communicable diseases, such as the level of tobacco use, the status of nutrition and the quality of water and air.

The project would involve setting of 31 State and 592 district surveillance units, and strengthening of disease diagnosis laboratories at all levels.

Blindness control

In addition, the CCEA cleared an outlay of Rs. 445 crores for the National Programme for Control of Blindness for the Tenth Plan period.

The fund would be used to expand the coverage for cataract surgery, hold screening camps for schoolchildren for detection of refractive error, promote eye donation and improve eye-care services in government and NGO sectors. The Cabinet also gave its approval for a legislative Bill that seeks to regulate the education for paramedical staff and physiotherapists.

Optional protocol

The Cabinet also approved the signing and ratification of the two optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Children, which deal with prevention of involvement of children in armed conflicts and sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and cleared the signing of an agreement with Spain for mutual legal assistance in criminal cases.

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