Speech of Mr. Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary (Labour and Employment), Government of India at the Plenary session of the 105th Session of International Labour Conference, at Geneva - June 7th, 2016
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Madam President of the 105th ILC, Director General ILO, Mr Guy Ryder, Vice Chairs from Workers and Employers, dignitaries on the dais, ladies and gentlemen

1. At the outset, I thank you for this opportunity to address this august gathering. I also place on record our appreciation for the very comprehensive and informative report of Director General, ILO, Mr Guy Ryder. We compliment him and ILO for the successes in their endeavours.
2. In September 2015, the world came together to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 1 on eradication of poverty and Goal 8 on achieving full and productive employment are at the center of 2030 Development Agenda and we recognize ILO’s significant contribution in this success. It is therefore, befitting that ILS is discussing DG’s Report on “The End to Poverty Initiative: The ILO and 2030 Agenda” which shows a strong interconnect with 2030 Agenda and displays a similar vision.
3. India shares with ILO, a deep respect for rights of workers and is committed to the agenda of inclusive and sustainable development. A sustained high rate of economic growth coupled with focused initiatives for employment generation and universalization of social security define the growth strategy for India. Deliberations at fora like G20, BRICS and here at ILO assure us that this strategy enjoys support of global community and we are confident that our collective efforts will lead us to achieve our targets in the 2030 Agenda.

• India’s response for poverty eradication can be seen in our initiative for financial inclusion and social security, improved wage policies, skill development and a comprehensive approach for creating a conducive environment for overall economic growth, infrastructure development, innovation and entrepreneurship. We firmly believe that poverty can be eradicated only by creating jobs at every level: social as well as geographical. India is committed to provide quality jobs to each and every worker in the country. Our major initiatives like Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Start up India and 100 Smart Cities are focused on creating quality jobs for everyone in every corner of the country.
• We are strengthening our public employment services to facilitate our youth to get job best suited to their qualification and aptitude by providing updated information even in the far flung rural areas.  National Career Service (NCS) Project is being implemented using technology to provide a variety of employment related services like job postings, career counselling, vocational guidance, skill courses, apprenticeship, etc.  The portal has successfully registered over 35 million candidates and 1 million establishments. The NCS portal is collaborating with leading private players in the field to enhance the effectiveness of the portal.
• Ministry of Labour and Employment is committed to protect and safeguard the interests of the workers, in particular the poor, deprived and disadvantaged sections of the society.
• We are working to ensure better and effective enforcement of Labour Laws and to create a conducive environment for job creation by bringing in the necessary ease in compliance of provisions related to labour. We have developed a portal, calledShramSuvidha Portal augmenting inspection mechanism such that inspection are more objective and targeted to ensure that cases of noncompliance are taken up on priority.
• We appreciate the agenda items placed for discussion in this ILC. In the era of globalization, promoting labour mobility particularly for the youth is essential in order for them to have access to best opportunities across the global value chain. Advocating decent work in global supply chain is also essential for ensuring safe working conditions and protection of labour rights across the entire value chain. The proposed revision in the scope of Transition from War to Peace Recommendation, 1944 (No.71) is critical and highly sensitive. It requires a very calibrated handling. We are closely following the deliberations while firming up our views.
•  We appreciate and support ILO in its drive to promote rights at work, encouraging decent employment opportunities, enhancing social protection and strengthening dialogue on work-related issues.