Definitions
Section 2 of the Apprentices Act, 1961 deals with definitions. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- [(a) "All India Council" means the All India Council of Technical Education established by the resolution of the Government of India in the former Ministry of Education No. The Act came into force on 01 Mar 1962.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
1[(a) "All India Council" means the All India Council of Technical Education established by the resolution of the Government of India in the former Ministry of Education No. F. 16-10/44-E.III, dated the 30th November, 1945;]
2[(aa)] "apprentice" means a person who is undergoing apprenticeship training 3 *** in pursuance of a contract of apprenticeship;
1[(aaa) "apprenticeship training" means a course of training in any industry or establishment undergone in pursuance of a contract of apprenticeship and under prescribed terms and conditions which may be different for different categories of apprentices;]
(b) "Apprenticeship Adviser" means the Central Apprenticeship Adviser appointed under sub-section (1) of section 26 or the State Apprenticeship Adviser appointed under sub-section (2) of that section;
(c) "Apprenticeship Council" means the Central Apprenticeship Council or the State Apprenticeship Council established under sub-section (1) of section 24;
(d) "appropriate Government" means,--
(1) in relation to--
(a) the Central Apprenticeship Council, or
4[(aa) the Regional Boards, or
(aaa) the practical training of graduate or technician apprentices or technician (vocational) apprentices, or]
(b) any establishment of any railway, major port, mine or oil field, or
5[(bb) any establishment which is operating business or trade from different locations situated in four or more States, or]
(c) any establishment owned, controlled or managed by--
(i) the Central Government or a department of the Central Government,
(ii) a company in which not less than fifty-one per cent. of the share capital is held by the Central Government or partly by that Government and partly by one or more State Governments,
(iii) a corporation (including a co-operative society) established by or under a Central Act which is owned, controlled or managed by the Central Government,
the Central Government;
(2) in relation to--
(a) a State Apprenticeship Council, or
(b) any establishment other than an establishment specified in sub-clause (1) of this clause,
the State Government;
6[(dd) "Board or State Council of Technical Education" means the Board or State Council of Technical Education established by the State Government;]
7[(e) "designated trade" means any trade or occupation or any subject field in engineering or non-engineering or technology or any vocational course which the Central Government, after consultation with the Central Apprenticeship Council, may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify as a designated trade for the purposes of this Act;]
(f) "employer" means any person who employs one or more other persons to do any work in an establishment for remuneration and includes any person entrusted with the supervision and control of employees in such establishment;
(g) "establishment" includes any place where any industry is carried on 8[and where an establishment consists of different departments or have branches, whether situated in the same place or at different places, all such departments or branches shall be treated as part of that establishment];
(h) "establishment in private sector" means an establishment which is not an establishment in public sector;
(i) "establishment in public sector" means an establishment owned, controlled or managed by--
(1) the Government or a department of the Government;
(2) a Government company as defined in section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956);
(3) a corporation (including a co-operative society) established by or under a Central, Provincial or State Act, which is owned, controlled or managed by the Government;
(4) a local authority;
9[(j) "graduate or technician apprentice" means an apprentice who holds, or is undergoing training in order that he may hold a degree or diploma in engineering or non-engineering or technology or equivalent qualification granted by any institution recognised by the Government and undergoes apprenticeship training in any designated trade;
(k) "industry" means any industry or business in which any trade, occupation or subject field in engineering or non-engineering or technology or any vocational course may be specified as a designated trade or optional trade or both;]
(l) "National Council" means the National Council for Training in Vocational Trades established by the resolution of the Government of India in the Ministry of Labour (Directorate General of Resettlement and Employment) No. TR/E.P.24/56, dated the 21st August, 1956; 10[and re-named as the National Council for Vocational Training by the resolution of the Government of India in the Ministry of Labour (Directorate-General of Employment and Training) No. DGET/12/21/80-TC, dated the 30th September, 1981];
11[(ll) "optional trade" means any trade or occupation or any subject field in engineering or non-engineering or technology or any vocational course as may be determined by the employer for the purposes of this Act;
(lll) "portal-site" means a website of the Central Government for exchange of information under this Act;]
(m) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
12[(mm) "Regional Board" means any Board of Apprenticeship Training registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860) at Bombay, Calcutta, Madras or Kanpur;]
(n) "State" includes a Union territory;
(o) "State Council" means a State Council for Training in Vocational Trades established by the State Government;
(p) "State Government" in relation to a Union territory means the Administrator thereof;
10[(pp) "technician (vocational) apprentice" means an apprentice who holds or is undergoing training in order that he may hold a certificate in vocational course involving two years of study after the completion of the secondary stage of school education recognised by the All-India Council and undergoes apprenticeship training in any 13[designated trade];]
14[(q) "trade apprentice" means an apprentice who undergoes apprenticeship training in any designated trade;
(r) "worker" means any person working in the premises of the employer, who is employed for wages in any kind of work either directly or through any agency including a contractor and who gets his wages directly or indirectly from the employer but shall not include an apprentice referred to in clause (aa).]
Section 2, The Apprentices Act, 1961 (Act 52 of 1961).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 5
- Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 s. 15 Modified application of certain laws in relation to penalties
- Code on Wages s. 2 Definitions
- Industrial Relations Code s. 2 Definitions
- Mines Act 1952 s. 40 Employment of persons below eighteen years of age
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code s. 70 Employment of persons below eighteen years of age
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
DATE VERIFIED Judgement 2004-10-01 (order-6.pdf) via get_order_markdown — index and body agree. An 'apprentice' under s.2(aa) is a person who enters a contract of apprenticeship for designated-trade training; that status is defined by the genuine contract, not by registration. An apprentice under the 1961 Act is not per se a workman under U.P. ID Act s.2(z) merely because 'apprentice' appears in the ID definition — the special statute controls.
On this section: s.2(aa) apprentice definition — status turns on genuine apprenticeship contract for designated trade, not on registration or ID Act label.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 2
What have the courts held on Section 2 of the Apprentices Act?
U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr. (01 Oct 2004) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.2(aa) apprentice definition — status turns on genuine apprenticeship contract for designated trade, not on registration or ID Act label.
How do I find court cases under Section 2 of the Apprentices Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Apprentices Act 1961 2, section 2 Apprentices Act 1961, section 2 of the Apprentices Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr. (01 Oct 2004).
What should I read with Section 2 of the Apprentices Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 24 (Constitution of Councils), section 26 (Apprenticeship Advisers), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 5 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 2 of the Apprentices Act come into force?
Section 2 of the Apprentices Act, cited as Apprentices Act 1961 2, came into force on 01 Mar 1962, having been enacted on 12 Dec 1961. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 8. Number of apprentices for a designated trade903 words
- 9. Practical and basic training of apprentices876 words
- 7. Termination of apprenticeship contract538 words
- 13. Payment to apprentices487 words
- 24. Constitution of Councils443 words
- 30. Offences and penalties408 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.