<span style="color: #222222;">The News Services Division brings glimpses of &quot;The Year that was&quot; in our Special Series Year Ender.<br />”<br />”The labour welfare has been at the forefront of NDA government’s agenda.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">To harmonize the needs of workers, industries and other related parties, the Central government has replaced 29 Labour Laws with four Labour Codes.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described these reforms as pro-worker adding that it will create significant employment while ensuring minimum wage and social security for labourers.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">AIR Correspondent takes a look at significant provisions of the labour reforms.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">Government has amalgamated 29 Labour Laws into four Labour Codes.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">They are Industrial Relations Code, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, Social Security Code and Code on Wages.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">Through these reforms, legal rights of minimum and timely wages have been given to all 50 crore organized and unorganized sector workers.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">To provide a safe working environment and protect labour health, for the first-time, annual health check-up has been provided for workers above a certain age.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">Additionally, measures have also been taken to keep the standards related to safety, effective and dynamic at the workplace.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">The labour codes also reduce the minimum qualification from 240 days to 180 days for leave.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">The provisions have been made for the payment of at least 50 percent of the penalty imposed on an employer for injury or death at the work place, to the aggrieved worker, in addition to other benefits.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">With a view that women should have the freedom to do the same work as men, a provision has been made that women can work in any type of institution at night as per their choice.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">For the social security of labourers, the scope of ESIC and EPFO is being extended and the Social Security Fund will be set up.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">Through this fund, social security schemes will be made for workers working in the unorganized sector and plans will be formulated to provide all kinds of social security benefits including insurance, maternity benefit and pension to 40 crore unorganised workers.</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span><br />” <span style="color: #222222;">The effective and simplified Industrial Relations Code have also been put in place so that peace and harmony prevail in the industrial units.</span><br />