The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) is one of the three leading trade and industry bodies in India along with FICCI and CII. ASSOCHAM represents the demands and concerns of the trade and industry to the government and other stakeholders with a view to make it easier for its members to do business and trade efficiently. The importance of bodies like ASSOCHAM has grown with the current NDA government being perceived as pro-business with slogans like “Make in India” and ministers and senior government officials release often speaking about making it easier to do business in India by smoothening legal and bureaucratic processes by simplifying rules and amending laws.
In this backdrop, ASSOCHAM put up an advertisement recently in leading newspapers outlining a list of laws to be reviewed and possibly thereafter amended or repealed. The list included laws like the Factories Act, the Inter State Migrant Workers Act, and the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act among others.
To understand ASSOCHAM’S perspective, a team from International Justice Mission, accompanied by Dr. L.D. Mishra, former union labour secretary, met with the senior advisor of ASSOCHAM on November 25th. From the discussions, it emerged that ASSOCHAM had from the perspective of “Make in India”, classified laws that were coming in the way of industrial houses pursuing their businesses aggressively. They had divided the laws into two lots based on their perception of how critical a particular law was in need of review. The first tranche of laws had already been vetted by ASSOCHAM and their views conveyed to government. They are expecting to submit their second report on the remaining laws (including BLSA) in the next year or so. ASSOCHAM agreed to sift through the views of civil society on BLSA and other related acts while formulating their recommendations. It is also clear that they see their mandate as being the voice of business and trade. We sincerely hope that accommodating the concerns of civil society groups will be their responsibility and priority as well.
Bandhua 1947 