Karnataka Domestic Workers draft bill mandates written agreement, registration, minimum wage
Bengaluru: According to the Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) draft bill, domestic workers cannot be employed without a written agreement between employers and workers, and employers who violate the provisions could face penalties, including imprisonment for up to three months.
The draft, prepared by the Labour Department, cited by Deccan Herald, was made public on Wednesday. It outlines several key provisions aimed at ensuring fair treatment for domestic workers, such as mandating minimum wages, reasonable working hours, overtime pay, and providing benefits like rest periods, annual leave, and maternity benefits. Citizens will have a month’s time to submit suggestions or objections.
One of the major aspects of the draft is the regulation of working hours. The bill stipulates that the total working hours per week cannot exceed 48 hours. It also ensures that workers receive either a full-day holiday or two half-day holidays each week.
The draft defines “domestic worker” as one employed for domestic work either directly or indirectly, or through a contract or a digital platform, who works for remuneration for one or more employers by staying at the household premises or otherwise. This can include part-time or full-time workers, as well as casual, temporary, piece-meal, gig work, and migrant workers.
A crucial aspect of the bill is the mandatory registration of both domestic workers and their employers. As per the draft, if a domestic worker is illiterate or a migrant, the employer, service provider, or placement agency must ensure that the worker is registered within one month of starting employment. Employers are required to complete their registration within the same timeframe, while service providers must register within a month of the commencement of the act.
In cases where a domestic worker changes their place of employment or migrates, they must inform the registration authorities within 30 days.
Another significant provision in the draft targets the protection of vulnerable workers. Anyone found sending women or girls for immoral purposes, abusing or illegally confining domestic workers, or using children as domestic workers could face prison sentences ranging from three to seven years, along with fines up to Rs 50,000.
The draft also mandates the creation of the Karnataka State Domestic Workers Social Security and Welfare Board. This board will will administer and monitor the Domestic Workers Social Security and Welfare Fund. It will have equal representation from domestic workers, employers, service providers, placement agencies, and government officials.
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Rs 640 crore cyber fraud: SC refuses anticipatory bail to CA in ED case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant anticipatory bail to a chartered accountant in a money laundering investigation linked to a Rs 640 crore cyber fraud case.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Augustine George Masih upheld the order of the Delhi High Court which had denied pre-arrest bail to Bhaskar Yadav and directed him to surrender in 10 days.
The high court on February 2 dismissed anticipatory bail applications by Yadav and Ashok Kumar Sharma.
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In the 22-page judgement, the high court had said there was an "intricate mesh of laundering of money", and the need expressed by the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate the two accused in custody was not unreasonable.
"The accused/applicants, being skilled professionals, have allegedly crafted laundering of proceeds of crime across multiple layers, and to unearth the same, I find substance in the submission of learned counsel for DoE (Directorate of Enforcement) that custodial interrogation is much required," the HC said.
"It is not a case of mere dealing in cryptocurrency, which per se is not a crime in this country and the liability of the accused persons is confined to paying tax on the crypto transactions. The present cases exhibit a vast intricate mesh of movement of money, fraudulently extracted out of pocket of gullible investors, who appear to be primarily belonging to middle class," it had added.
The high court had stated that individual liberty was sacrosanct, but it could not brush aside the requirement to carry out a meaningful interrogation and investigation in the larger interest of the country's economy.
It had noted there were fresh complaints of the accused allegedly assaulting the investigating officers, bribing the local police to settle cyber fraud complaints and destroying electronic evidence.
The money laundering probe stems from two FIRs filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police that were registered to probe charges of cyber fraud to the tune of Rs 640 crore generated through betting, gambling, part-time jobs and phishing scams, the ED has earlier said in a statement.
As per the agency, the money of gullible people was siphoned off by layering funds cheated from them through more than 5,000 mule Indian bank accounts and subsequently uploaded on PYYPL, a UAE-based payment platform.
Part of the cyber fraud money was withdrawn in cash in Dubai through debit and credit cards issued by various Indian banks, it said.
According to the probe agency, the alleged scam was being run through a nexus of certain CAs, company secretaries and crypto traders who worked in tandem to launder the proceeds of crime.
