The city government on Monday submitted to the Delhi high court its proposed legislation for regulating private placement agencies and preventing trafficking of girls and child workers.
The draft of the Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2012, which would be presented before the Assembly in February 2013, provides that unregistered agencies will not be allowed to provide domestic helps in the city.
“No person or private placement agencies shall carry on or commence the business of private placement agency, unless he (or it) holds a licence issued under this act,” said one of the provisions of the bill.
The draft bill also provides for the appointment of a controlling authority, which would oversee the registration and subsequent functioning of the placement agencies. The authority would also be armed with the power to cancel licenses of an errant agency if it violates the act.
“Every private placement agency shall maintain a register containing (a) the names and addresses of the persons managing the private placement agency, (b) the names and addresses of the persons to whom it had provided the domestic workers, (c) the names and addresses of the domestic workers deployed by it and (d) such other particulars as may be prescribed,” the document said.
The placement agency will have to issue a photo identity card to a domestic help, employed through it, the draft law said. The proposed law also provides that the placement agencies would issue a pass book to every domestic help employed through them.
The agencies will have to keep a record of the place and the name of the employer of the domestic help, it said, adding that the details of the “next kin of such a worker” would also be required to be maintained. “No placement agency shall charge any fee, by whatsoever name called, from any domestic worker,” it said.