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Beedi workers to get social security cover
Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has written letters to all Chief Ministers requesting them to make necessary arrangements at the state level, as the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is being transferred from the Union Labour ministry to the Union Health ministry.
Hyderabad: Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has written letters to all Chief Ministers requesting them to make necessary arrangements at the state level, as the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is being transferred from the Union Labour ministry to the Union Health ministry.
Addressing a press conference, Dattatreya said beedi workers, textile workers and construction workers in the unorganised sector would be brought under the social security net. There were 15 lakh beedi workers in Telangana. Identity cards would be given to the workers, he said. The identity cards will enable them to avail the ESI (Employee State Insurance) and ESI Corporation benefits. Thereby, the NDA government has implemented provisions of the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, he pointed out.
Also, educational scholarships have been disbursed to 1,22,405 children of beedi workers. The amount disbursed was Rs 9.196 crore. Dattarteya said that the film industry workers in Hyderabad will also get social security through the two schemes. They would be provided identity cards. Mobile health vans will be arranged for providing outpatient health services to them, Dattatreya said.
Dattatreya said the Telangana government has been requested to provide sufficient land for setting up a 50-bedded ESI hospital at Sircilla in Karimnagar district. The State government has already allotted 1.5 acre of land to the hospital. The Centre wants more land for setting up the 50-bedded hospital, as requested by the Telangana government.
Speaking about extension of social security benefits to international workers, Indians who are working abroad, Dattatreya said the Government of India has entered into a bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSAs) with 18 countries and these agreements have already come into force in 13 countries. As on March 31, 2014, more than 3,100 Indians have taken Certificates of Coverage from EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organization) to work in various countries.
The bilateral agreements will exempt Indian workers from mandatory social security contributions in the country of their posting.
Till recently, the United States, which accounts for the highest Indian immigrant population, has not been a signatory of the bilateral SSA.
However, Dattatreya said that he was pleased when US President Barack Obama, during his recent visit to India, agreed to enter into a bilateral Social Security Agreement with India.
As per an estimate by NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies), about 2,00,000 Indians are working in USA-based Indian companies. EPF deductions by these companies amount to $3 billion, which is equal to Rs.18,000 crore.
Bilateral agreements will enable the Indian government to receive the contributions made abroad, by way of ‘totalisation’ and the payments will be made in India.
