Mumbai: In a move to regulate private placement agencies and protect young job seekers from fraud, the state legislature on Wednesday passed the Private Placement Agency (Regulation) Bill, 2025. This aims to create a safer and more transparent system for job seekers in the state. Minister of skill development, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, tabled the bill on behalf of the govt. It makes certain provisions to enhance skill development and employment opportunities for youths.
Members of the Legislative Council acknowledged the increasing number of job fairs in Maharashtra and the employment opportunities provided to students through the Mukhyamantri Yuva Prashikshan Yojana. They emphasised that these initiatives are visionary and beneficial for young job seekers. They also stated that introducing the Maharashtra Private Placement Agency (Regulation) Bill, 2025, will be a historic decision. The bill includes preventive measures to curb fraudulent recruitment practices and safeguard the employment interests of job seekers.
Speaking about the bill, Lodha said, “After forming the govt, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed all departments to prepare a 100-day action plan. He suggested including this bill in the Skill Development Department’s plan, and accordingly, we are presenting the Maharashtra Private Placement Agency (Regulation) Bill, 2025. This bill will protect the rights of young job seekers while ensuring accountability among placement agencies. With mandatory govt registration, every placement agency will now operate within a regulatory framework, ensuring transparency and building trust among job seekers.”
The bill aims to provide national and international employment opportunities for youth, enhance collaboration with placement agencies, bring transparency in their operations, and encourage quality services in the sector, he added.
Key Provisions of the Bill
Previously, agencies could operate with a Gumasta license, but this will no longer be allowed. All placement agencies must now register with the govt’s regulatory authority, and they cannot function without a valid registration certificate.
If an agency is found guilty of misinformation, fraudulent documentation, deception, misuse of information, failure to provide promised jobs, or misleading people using the govt’s name, its registration certificate will be suspended or cancelled.
Agencies operating without registration will face penalties or even imprisonment under the provisions of the bill.
The govt is not only regulating but also promoting employment opportunities. The Skill Development Department will collaborate with registered private placement agencies to organise job fairs, career guidance sessions, skill development workshops, and seminars in the future.
With this bill, Maharashtra will provide a more secure and transparent placement system for job seekers, while also bringing unregulated private placement agencies under govt oversight.