Government of India Issues Notification Redefining “Deemed Employment”
'Deemed Employees' no longer unemployed, however not eligible for salaries, says Government
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, has modified its definition of “deemed employment.” In a notification issued in the Gazette of India on Saturday, the government made it clear that those who have received “certificates of employment” from the hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Rojgar Mela 2022 are now to be considered ‘employed’ unless the government changes their status. As per the notification, the recipients have no right to change their status to ‘unemployed’ under any circumstance. Those receiving the certificate would also be ‘deemed’ to be on the payroll of the Government of India, but not necessarily the specific body that was employing them, the notification adds.
The Union Minister for Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav said that the employment certificate is, in itself, a guarantee of employment; no further document by any of the government bodies is necessary for the beneficiary. “The Prime Minister Modiji has himself has signed and distributed this certificate. What else is necessary?” asked the Minister. He was responding to queries from recipients who had claimed that the respective government organisations had not formally offered any jobs, and hence there was no obligation on them to pay any salary.
Some recipients staged a dharna outside several government offices in Gandhinagar demanding appointment orders from local body, police, state government and PSUs who were said to be participating as employers in the Rojgar Mela. The notification by the government would now put an end to these demands since the certificates are considered equivalent to such appointment orders.
The Union Minister for Law, Kiren Rijiju said that there is no law that says those who are deemed to be employees will need to be paid wages or salaries. “The notification is clear; these are deemed jobs, not salaried jobs. There is no requirement for us to pay salary. This should settle the matter,” he tweeted with a link to the notification.
Tweeting on the issue, several BJP office bearers and supporters ridiculed the protesters. “If I were to receive a certificate signed by Modiji and presented by him, I would frame it and pray to it daily. Are these people not grateful?” asked TV Mohandas Pai, a prominent BJP supporter. “There was a time when one word from our leaders was enough to sustain us. Now they not only want jobs but also salaries. They should go to Pakistan if they want real jobs!” tweeted Anil Vij, a BJP minister from Haryana.
The opposition parties raised several questions on the job drive; Mr P Chidambaram of the INC said that it was known that governments held a job fair or mela from time to time where employers would interview and select employees, but this is the first time that a ‘circus’ was held were certificates of employment were distributed, not jobs. He pointed out that the Rojgar Mela in some cities had a cut-out of the Prime Minister handing over certificates. “Is the cut-out deemed to be Modiji too?” he quipped in a tweet.
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