The Hindu Business Line : Social security

A majority of the present social welfare legislations in India provide benefits either solely at the cost of the employer or on joint contribution of employer and employee.

However, the present scheme to the unorganised sector is distinctive, as the Government has come forward to share the contribution to the Fund.

The successful implementation of the scheme, however, rests mainly on identification of "employer-employee" relationship in the unorganised sector, where it is mostly inconspicuous.

Though the Supreme Court has already upheld the validity of the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 for the home-based workers involved in beedi rolling and cottage industry, these workers are not able to access the benefits mainly because of inconspicuous nature of employee-employer relationship. It is time the Centre legislated on the extension of social security to the unorganised and defined the terms "employee" and "employer" as applicable to "unorganised sector".

C. Ramesh

Keeramangalam (TN)

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