The Hindu Business Line : Panel on Inspector Raj plumps for 3rd party inspection — `Lack of adequate staff obstacle to effective enforcement of laws'

Industry & Economy - Industrial Policy

Panel on Inspector Raj plumps for 3rd party inspection — `Lack of adequate staff obstacle to effective enforcement of laws'

G. Srinivasan

The panel has made a pitch for an alternative of third party inspection to give an option to the enterprises to get their regulatory compliance certified by dependable third parties.

New Delhi , Dec. 30

ESTABLISHMENTS reeling under the rigour of a raft of inspections by the Central and Sate Governments could heave a sigh of relief, if the recommendation by an official Committee for instituting a system of third party inspection which could become the alternative to existing battery of inspections by the authorities is adopted.

Sources in the Government told Business Line here that a Committee to study the Inspector Raj under the Chairmanship of Planning Commission Member, Mr Anwarulal Hoda, is understood to have plumped for such a third party inspection especially when the enterprises that are complying with the various laws would have the alternative in place and preclude regular inspection by Government inspectors.

The draft report currently forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is believed to have stated that the enactment of the pending Bill for the amendment of the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act 1988 would accord the requisite succour to the enterprises which would be required to maintain only two registers in place of the extant 53 and which would have to submit only one return instead of the present eleven.

It is stated that as lack of adequate strength of inspecting staff is a big obstacle to effective enforcement of labour, environment and occupational health and satiety laws in the country, government agencies should be assured of better compliance through the third party inspections.

Even for enterprises with worker strength above 19, the Committee favours the continuation of the extant system based on periodic inspection by inspectors appointed by the Central and State Governments with some improvements based on the countrywide adoption of the best practices that have been successfully introduced in some States along with early enactment of the legislative initiatives taken by the Central Government. However, it also pitches for an alternative of third party inspection to give an option to the enterprises to get their regulatory compliance certified by dependable third parties.

Units that have obtained ISO 14001 certification should be exempt from routine inspections under environmental laws as for the duration for which the certification is valid. For the17 industries with high pollution potential as identified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests the exemption would be granted only after the unit has been found in compliance in two successive inspections jointly by the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board and the Regional Office of the MOEF.