Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Protection of Workers in the Unorganized Sector

Details of various social security measures proposed to protect the workers of small establishment in unorganized sector is as follows:
           
            With a view to providing social security to unorganized workers, including workers engaged in the small establishments, the Government enacted the Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008.  The Act provides for constitution of National Social Security Board which shall recommend social security schemes viz life and disability cover, health maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit as may be determined by the Government for unorganized workers.

            Pending above legislation, the Government launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to provide smart card bases cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30,000/- per annum to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the unorganized sector.  The scheme became operational from 01.04.2008.  More than 1.84 crore smart cards have been issued as on 18.08.2010.  RSBY has been extended to Building and other Construction workers registered under the Building and other Construction Workers (RECS), Act, 1996.

            To provide death and disability cover to rural landless households between the age group of 18 to 59 years, the Government launched the “Aam Admi Bima Yojana”.

            Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme was expanded by revising the eligibility criteria to provide old age pension to all citizens above the age of 65 years and living below the poverty line.

            In the Budget for the year 2010-11, the Government has decided to extend benefits of RSBY to all such Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) beneficiaries who have worked for more than 15 days during the preceding financial year and to all licensed porters, vendors and hawkers, who are from the unorganized sector and are social challenged.

            The Government has also set up of National Social Security Fund for unorganized sector workers with initial allocation of Rs, 1,000/- crore.  This fund will support schemes for weavers, toddy tapers, rickshaw pullers, bidi workers etc.
            The Government has set up the following Task Force:
            (a)            Domestic workers.
            (b)            Vendors, Auto & Taxi drivers, Rickshaw pullers and rag pickers.
            (c)            Sanitation workers.

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