Payment of Wages Act to be amended: Bandaru Dattatreya

To prevent tragic incidents like the recent collapse of an under-construction building here and to ensure the safety of workers, the state governments should effectively implement the provisions of various Acts, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said on Sunday.

There are a number of Acts, including Building and Other Construction Workers Act, EPFO Act, Minimum Wages Act, Gratuity Act and Compensation of Payment and Wages Act for the benefit of workers, he said. Observing that labour is in concurrent list, he said the state governments must implement the Acts in the interest of workers. Violation of rules has been found in the incident of under-construction building collapse at Nanakramguda here last week, he said. Eleven people, all construction workers and their family members, were killed in the building collapse.

Stressing on preventive action to avoid tragedies like building collapse, Dattatreya said he would hold a meeting with Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao soon on the issue.

Manmohan Singh should give his silent support to demonetisation rather than being critical of the move as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is merely doing what the former premier could not achieve in 10 years, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said here on Sunday.