The Hindu : Quota for OBCs in trainee apprentice recruitment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 10, 2002

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National

Quota for OBCs in trainee apprentice recruitment

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Oct. 9. In a move that would help the NDA Government satisfy the other backward castes (OBCs), the Central Apprenticeship Council today formally approved a proposal which seeks reservation for OBCs in recruitment of apprentices on the same pattern as enjoyed by them in jobs in States.

Following the decision, the OBCs would now be entitled to reservations as per State Policy for induction as trainee apprentices in various establishments in accordance with the Apprentices Act. The council also accepted another proposal which has made the ratio between the apprentices and the workers in an establishment more flexible. This would facilitate higher intake of apprentices by industrial establishments, which have to statutorily provide training to them in different trades.

Similarly, norms have been relaxed and made more flexible to benefit women and physically handicapped persons. A number of new trades too have been added to the list of trades which people falling in different categories of physical impairment would be eligible for consideration of apprenticeship. The deaf and dumb would now be eligible for 21 new trades, physically handicapped for 40 and visually impaired for 63.

Women would be entitled to certain incentives if they join an organisation as apprentices. The idea behind the move was to attract more women to take benefit of the law. Currently the number of women is not even four per cent of the total of 1.5 lakh apprentices in various organisations.

Earlier acknowledging the importance of apprenticeship training in enhancing the skill of workers, the Union Labour Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, during his inaugural speech at the 29th meeting of the council, warned legal action against establishments not engaging apprentices as per the quota.

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