Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 3/17

UNION MINISTER OF STATE LAYS FOUNDATION STONE FOR REGIONAL LABOUR INSTITUTE

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Labour & Employment, Government of India Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya today laid the foundation stone of the Regional Labour Institute at Shillong in the presence of Smti M. Sathiyavathy, Secretary, Labour & Employment Government of India, Mr. Heera Lal Samariya, Additional Secretary, Labour & Employment, Government of India, Dr. Avneesh Singh, Director General, DGFASLI Mr. T. Dkhar, Commissioner & Secretary, Labour department, Government of Meghalaya, Mr. A. Mawlong, Secretary, Labour department, Government of Meghalaya and senior Labour government officials both from Central and State Governments. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dattatreya said that the Central Government is committed to the growth and overall development of the Northeast Region by way of setting up of industries which will boost the employment opportunities for the local populace. He also stated that without safe, clean environment as well as a healthy working condition, social justice and economic growth cannot be achieved and pointed out that safe and healthy working environment is recognized as a fundamental human right and said that education, training, consultation and exchange of information and good practices are essential for prevention and promotion of such measures. Ensuring safety and health of the workmen is an essential element for the sustainable growth of the industry, added the Union Minister of State.

The Union Minister of State also said that the occupational safety and health scenario in the country is changing very fast due to technological advancement and hence urged all stakeholders to work together with utmost sincerity to achieve the goal of ensuring holistic occupational safety and health at workplaces. He hope that the new Regional Labour Institute being established at Shillong will be a new milestone in strengthening the safety and health movement in the northeastern region by creating more and more skilled manpower in the area of safety and health. The objective of establishing the Regional Labour Institute, Shillong is to strengthen the industrial safety and health in the North Eastern States coming under the jurisdiction of the Institute. This institute will impart training and consultancy services in the area of occupational safety & health. The Institute will run the long- term educational courses and professional programmes in safety and health.

It may be mentioned that this will be the sixth Labour Institute under Directorate General, Factory Advice service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. The other five Institutes are located at Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata and Faridabad. The DGFASLI is an attached office of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India and serves as a technical arm to assist the Ministry in formulating National policies on occupational safety and health in factories and docks. The New Regional Labour Institute which is being setup by DGFASLI, Ministry of Labour & Employment at Shillong for the North East Region and its jurisdiction will be the North East states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The land for construction of the Institute has been made available by the Government of Meghalaya. The Institute will have a four storey building comprising Office and Hostel Block. The Regional Labour Institute Shillong will have Industrial safety, Industrial Hygiene, Industrial Medicine, Industrial Physiology/Ergonomics, Major Hazard Control & Chemical Safety and Safety, Health & Environment Exhibition Center divisions. The Institute will be equipped with modern classrooms, a library- cum- information center and a webinar center. Besides, the Institute hostel will have a 50 bedded executive hostel comprising 22 double and triple bedrooms. The construction of the Institute Building has been entrusted to CPWD Shillong at a cost of Rs.17.40 crore, the Institute will start functioning in 2020.