Taking its cue from Rajasthan, as it were, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has initiated action on the sensitive subject of labour law reforms. To begin with, the labour ministry has sought suggestions from all stakeholders, including industries, trade unions and experts, on its proposal to amend the 66-year-old Factories Act. “The labour and employment ministry proposes to amend the Factories Act 1948,” said a ministry document dated 6 June and posted on its website. Coincidentally, it was the same day the BJP government in Rajasthan approved amendments to three key labour laws–the Industrial Disputes Act, the Factories Act and the Contract Labour Act–and set in motion a process of decentralizing the labour market and making it “employment friendly”.