The Bharat Informal Workers Initiative (BHIWI) has urged the Labour Department to extend the benefits of various Central schemes to informal workers and street vendors and utilise the funds allocated for the welfare of unorganised workers in different sectors.
National president of BHIWI and former Minister S.A. Ramadas told presspersons here on Tuesday said that around 48.7 crore workers were employed in 41 unorganised sectors, according to the survey report in 2015.
Mr. Ramadas said the Union and State government should provide UWIN (Unorganised Workers’ Identification Number) card to bring unorganised sector workers under the social security net and extend benefits such as health insurance, health security, pension and old age schemes.
He urged the Labour Department to ensure welfare schemes are made available for the workers in the unorganised sector with the funds of Rs.27, 000 crore allocated by the Union government in the 2016-17 budget. The budget allocation in the State was Rs.3,821 crore.
BIWI has launched a campaign to send one lakh post cards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari with requests for abolition of the motor vehicle rule that mandates 8th class pass for obtaining driving licence. The fortnight-long campaign will run from August 1 to 14.
The government should conduct a practical examination and issue licences to drivers who can read and write at least one language, he added.
