1[4. Exemption from furnishing or maintaining of returns and registers requires under certain labour laws.-

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in a Scheduled Act, on andfrom the commencement of the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returnsand Maintaining Registers by certain Establishments) Amendment Act, 2014, itshall not be necessary for an employer in relation to any small establishment orvery small establishment to which a Scheduled Act applies, to furnish the returnsor to maintain the registers required to be furnished or maintained under thatScheduled Act:

Provided that such employer-

(a) furnishes, in lieu of such returns, annual return in Form I; and

(b) maintains, in lieu of such registers,-

(i) registers in Form II and Form III, in the case of smallestablishments, and

(ii) a register in Form III, in the case of very smallestablishments, at the work spot:

Provided further that every such employer shall continue to-

(a) issue wage slips in the Form prescribed in the Minimum Wages(Central) Rules, 1950 made under sections 18 and 30 of the Minimum WagesAct, 1948 (11 of 1948) and slips relating to measurement of the amount of work done bypiece-rated workers required to be issued under the Payment of Wages(Mines) Rules, 1956 made under sections 13A and 26 of the Payment ofWages Act, 1936 (4 of 1936); and

(b) file returns relating to accidents under sections 88 and 88A of theFactories Act, 1948 (63 of 1948) and sections 32A and 32B of the Plantations Labour Act, 1951 (69 of 1951).

(2) The annual return in Form I and the registers in Forms II and III and wageslips, wage books and other records, as provided in sub-section (1), may bemaintained by an employer either in physical form or on a computer, computerfloppy, diskette or other electronic media:

Provided that in case of computer, computer floppy, diskette or otherelectronic form, a printout of such returns, registers, books and records or aportion thereof is made available to the Inspector on demand.

(3) The employer or the person responsible to furnish the annual return inForm I may furnish it to the Inspector or any other authority prescribed under theScheduled Acts either in physical form or through electronic mail if the Inspectoror the authority has the facility to receive such electronic mail.

(4) Save as provided in sub-section (1), all other provisions of a ScheduledAct, including, in particular, the inspection of the registers by, and furnishing of their copies to, the authorities under that Act, shall apply to the returns and registersrequired to be furnished or maintained under this Act as they apply to the

returns andregisters under that Scheduled Act.

(5) Where an employer in respect of an establishment referred to in sub-section (1),to whom a Scheduled Act applies, furnishes returns or maintains the registers asprovided in the proviso to sub-section (1), nothing contained in that Scheduled Actshall render him liable to any penalty for his failure to furnish

any return or to maintainany register under that Scheduled Act.]