Aizawl, Mar 3 (PTI) The Mizoram Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill seeking to regulate the functioning of private placement agencies and to protect the rights of workers.

Labour, Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said The Mizoram Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2025, would replace the existing Act passed in this regard in 2015.

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The scope and focus of the Act is limited as it addresses only domestic workers and fails to provide a clear framework for agencies placing workers outside the country, Hmar said.

Apart from domestic work, youths from the state migrate to foreign countries for various jobs but they often face legal issues due to several lapses in the existing laws, he said.

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According to Hmar, the new Bill seeks to address the deficiencies in the existing law and broaden the scope to cover not only domestic workers but all categories of workers- unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled.

It also seeks to enhance the regulatory framework to protect the workers' rights, including provisions for grievances, complaints and increased penalties for violation, he said.

"The new legislation will ensure a more robust, transparent and accountable system for the regulation of private placement agencies operating within Mizoram and for placement abroad, thereby safeguarding the rights and welfare of all categories of workers," Hmar said.

He said that it would also mandate registration of placement agencies under both the state and Central legislation, including the Emigration Act, 1983 for international placements.

The Bill, after its enactment, would also have provision for pre-placement training, written agreements between agencies and employers and minimum wage guarantees, he said.

Licenses will be issued to private agencies for five years for job placement after the enactment of the Bill, he said.

After a prolonged discussion involving several members, including Chief Minister Lalduhoma and opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) leader Lalchhandama Ralte, the assembly unanimously passed the Bill.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)