Legal awareness programme for unorganised sector
SHILLONG: Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya and patron-in-chief of the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority, Justice AK Mittal on Saturday said that education is of prime importance and if workers in the unorganised sector are educated and trained, they would be able to take advantage of all the benefits available to them.
Mittal ,who was addressing a one-day legal awareness programme on the rights and benefits of workers in the unorganised sector’, informed that the term ‘unorganised worker’ is defined in Section 2 (m) of The Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008 which was enacted by the Parliament in order to provide social security and welfare for unorganised workers.
Stating that education plays a vital role in developing the economy of the country, the Chief Justice said that it is an important element in converting the population into a national asset.
Meghalaya High Court Judge Justice HS Thangkhiew said the unorganised sector plays a very important role in the economy.
He added that although legislation and law are in place, access to justice is a problem for the unorganised sector.
Thangkhiew also said that discussions during the programme are important in order for the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) and state government to find new ways and means to remedy the problems of the unorganized sector.
The programme was organised by the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) in collaboration with the Labour Department, Government of Meghalaya with an aim to target the workers in the unorganised sector.
Other highlights of the programme included the distribution of scholarships to the children of workers in the unorganized sectors who had registered themselves with The Meghalaya Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.