The process of ageing and demographic change has increased the demand for geriatric care, Arti Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, said highlighting major global trends which were impacting the world and would have a spill-over impact on India.
Ms. Ahuja was speaking during the session on Strategizing India’s Prosperity: Next Gen Reforms at The Global Economic Policy Forum 2023 organised by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Increased demand for geriatric care had fuelled the demand for social security, and also resulted in labor shortage due to which countries are cutting public services, Ms. Ahuja said.
Second, new kinds of jobs being created and the increased reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI is rationalising jobs in a few sectors, it is also helping humans to improve their competitiveness. Third is the mainstreaming of the provision of decent work practices in the global value chain. Trade and labour welfare are now intrinsically linked such as in signing Free Trade Agreements, she added.
For what needs to done, Ms. Ahuja stressed on five initiatives - namely stress on agility of workforce and adjustment to new job creation for which a common taxonomy of jobs and skills is required as suggested in G-20; to encourage mobility of workers to where there are skill gaps; accent on formalisation; provision of social security and mapping its coverage; and lastly rationalisation of the inspection system.
Commenting on the logistics sector, Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry highlighted the two recent reforms - the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, a GIS mapped, data driven and scientific system, which identifies the infrastructure gaps and addresses the same through inter-ministerial coordination and secondly, the National Logistics Policy.
Sanjiv Bajaj, Past President, CII stressed on the need for gen next reforms such as a focus on quality infrastructure; broadening the tax base; creating a roadmap for disinvestment; reducing cost of doing business; operationalising four labour codes, among others.
