PM approves one year extension for unorganised sector panel

New Delhi, July 5 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved an extension of the term of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) for a further period of one year extending till September 30, 2008, according to an official release issued here today.

The Commission has the mandate to examine the problems of the unorganised sector (also referred to as informal sector) and suggest measures to overcome them.

The UPA Government set up NCEUS under its common minimum programme in September 2004 under the chairmanship of Dr Arjun K Sengupta as an advisory body and as a watchdog for the unorganised sector.

The term of the Commission, which was initially fixed at one year, had been extended to three years. Now the term has again been extended by one more year.

The Commission has been assigned wide-ranging terms of reference.

Being an advisory body, the Commission has to submit its recommendations to the Government. An Advisory Board has also been constituted to enable the Commission to have the benefit of the advice of experienced persons in the relevant areas.

The Commission has been focusing on a few significant programmatic interventions, which could be adopted in the immediate term. These interventions are aimed at bringing about improvement in the productivity of enterprises in the unorganised/Informal Sector, generation of large-scale employment opportunities on a sustainable basis and enhancing the welfare of the workers in the unorganised sector.

UNI