Economic Survey 2018: Use of technology has led to transparent and effective enforcement of labour laws

The **use of technology** will help in the effective enforcement of labour laws in the country and bring in more transparency and accountability, the **Economic Survey** said on 29 January. [caption id=“attachment_4324903” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] The survey for 2017-18, tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament highlights various labour reform measures, including technology-driven initiatives that ensure delivery by reducing complexity in compliance. The survey also took stock of legislative reforms being pursued in the labour sector for generating employment opportunities and providing sustainable livelihoods for people who are largely engaged in the informal economy. The government has undertaken numerous technology-enabled transformative initiatives such as Shram Suvidha Portal, Ease of Compliance to maintain registers under various labour laws, universal account number and national career service portal in order to reduce the complexity burden in terms of compliance and accountability for better enforcement of guidelines, the survey noted. It also said there has been the highest ever budget allocation under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) during 2017-18. About 4.6 crore households were provided employment totalling 177.8 crore days during 2017-18 as on 14 January 2018. Out of this, 54 percent person days were generated by women, 22 percent by scheduled castes and 17 percent by scheduled tribes, the Economic Survey said.