Q. In India, which one of the following compiles information on industrial disputes, closures, retrenchments and lay-offs in factories employing workers? (UPSC Prelims 2022)
Answer:
Labour Bureau
Notes: The correct answer is
[C] Labour Bureau. The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the
Ministry of Labour and Employment, is the apex organization in India responsible for the collection, compilation, and dissemination of statistics on various facets of labour.
- Labour Bureau (Correct): It compiles and maintains statistics related to industrial disputes, closures, retrenchments, and lay-offs under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. It also publishes the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), which is used to calculate dearness allowance.
- Central Statistics Office (Incorrect): Now merged into the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), it focuses on national accounts, Index of Industrial Production (IIP), and energy statistics.
- DPIIT (Incorrect): This department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry focuses on industrial policy, FDI, and Ease of Doing Business. While it monitors industrial growth, it does not handle specific labour-related disputes or retrenchment data.
- National Technical Manpower Information System (Incorrect): This system was designed to provide data specifically on the supply and utilization of technical manpower (engineers, technicians, etc.) to help in planning technical education.
The information collected by the Labour Bureau is crucial for policy formulation and monitoring the health of the industrial relations climate in the country.