March 4, 2021

Haryana to implement 75 percent reservation for locals in private jobs

Livelihoods: Haryana Governor, Satyadeo Narain Arya, has approved the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2021, which will provide for 75 percent reservations for local job seekers in the private sector with a monthly salary ceiling of INR 50,000.

The Act extends to the entire state, will be in effect for 10 years, and applies to all the companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms, and any person employing ten or more persons, as well as any entity, as may be notified by the government from time to time. It also requires every employer to register their employees with the state government portal.

The new law also contains a clause that allows private companies to hire an employee from outside of the state, if they do not find a suitable local candidate for the job. Companies that do this will have to keep the government informed.  

Apart from tackling unemployment among local people, the state government said the law will discourage the influx of migrants seeking low-paid jobs, which has a significant impact on local infrastructure and leads to the proliferation of slums. The biggest impact is likely to be seen in Gurugram which has a strong private sector presence.

With the Haryana governor approving the bill, it will now be notified with detailed rules and regulations, and published in the state’s official gazette.

The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020 was passed in the state assembly on November 5th, 2020. It was one of the key promises made by the ruling alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in the run up to the 2019 assembly polls.

Explore these tips on how to make hiring more inclusive, approachable, and equitable.


May 20, 2021

Home Ministry extends validity period of FCRA registration certificates

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.


May 20, 2021

Corporate spending on oxygen support and medical equipment now counts as CSR

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.